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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. row — a line
  3. bound — certain
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bound — obliged
  9. present — there
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. present — the time now
  14. object — a thing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chair — a leader
  17. object — to protest
  18. key — in music
  19. present — a gift
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. object — an aim
  24. pitch — completely

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com