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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: club · cell · cabinet · jam · bat · bound · key · staff

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. key — in music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bound — tied together
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bound — obliged
  8. club — for golf
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cell — a phone
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. key — the most important part
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. key — for a lock
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. staff — employees
  18. bound — certain
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. club — a group
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. staff — employees
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bat — in an idiom

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