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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.

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: cap · band · bound · key · chair · date · can · stick

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cap — a hat
  7. key — in music
  8. band — a ring
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — certain
  12. band — a music group
  13. can — a tin
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cap — a lid
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cap — of ice
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. can — a tin

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