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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 116 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 · bound · wind · snap · cabinet · can · stick

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. key — the most important part
  3. game — a match
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. can — a tin
  10. key — in music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. can — a tin
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. can — to be able to
  23. snap — to click
  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