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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: club · file · key · pit · cabinet · bound · wind · present

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bound — certain
  4. present — a gift
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. bound — tied together
  12. present — there
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. key — in music
  15. bound — obliged
  16. key — for a lock
  17. club — for golf
  18. present — the time now
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cabinet — ministers

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