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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 120 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: bound · straw · ground · cold · board · safe · can · key

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bound — obliged
  4. key — the most important part
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — crushed
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. key — in music
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bound — tied together
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bound — certain
  13. ground — a position
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cold — not warm
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cold — an illness
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. board — a committee
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. board — to get on
  23. can — a tin
  24. key — for a lock

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