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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · cell · pop · fork · scale · key · face · bound

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chip — to eat
  3. scale — size or range
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chip — for betting
  7. face — to confront
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pop — soda
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bound — certain
  19. pop — music
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. key — in music
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bound — tied together

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