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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: key · game · present · stick · bound · rush · pop · cell

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. present — there
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pop — music
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pop — soda
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cell — in biology
  14. present — a gift
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bound — tied together
  17. game — a match
  18. bound — certain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. present — the time now
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bound — obliged

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