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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: pitch · spell · bound · chair · can · key · content · land

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. land — a country
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. key — the most important part
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bound — tied together
  8. can — a tin
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. content — happy
  12. spell — letters
  13. chair — a leader
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. land — to come down
  19. content — the amount
  20. can — to be able to
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spell — magic
  23. bound — obliged
  24. land — ground

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