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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: foot · bound · cap · bark · clip · key · present · net

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. net — for catching
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bound — obliged
  5. clip — to cut
  6. present — there
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. net — in sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bark — to shout
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. net — after costs
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cap — of ice
  16. key — in music
  17. present — a gift
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. key — the most important part
  23. foot — a measure
  24. cap — a hat

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