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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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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: fall · root · bound · club · kick · hand · key · leaves

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kick — in football
  5. hand — help
  6. root — of a word
  7. club — for golf
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. club — a group
  12. fall — the season
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bound — obliged
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. club — for dancing
  22. key — in music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. leaves — to go away

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