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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: straw · cold · track · mug · bound · bulb · mate · key

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. key — in music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mate — a friend
  9. track — a path
  10. mug — a face
  11. mate — a partner
  12. key — the most important part
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bulb — for light
  18. key — for a lock
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mug — a cup
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mate — to breed

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