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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 116 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: saw · net · suit · key · bound · mine · rule · content

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. mine — for digging
  4. content — happy
  5. rule — government
  6. saw — the tool
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. key — the most important part
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. key — in music
  12. content — the amount
  13. suit — in cards
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. net — for catching
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. suit — clothes
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rule — a law

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