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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.

Make a worksheet

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: key · bound · degree · suit · bass · charge · chest · cell

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chest — of your body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. suit — clothes
  11. degree — an amount
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bass — the fish
  14. charge — in control
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. degree — temperature
  18. charge — a price
  19. bass — low music
  20. chest — a box
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bound — certain
  23. charge — electricity
  24. key — in music

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