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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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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 · ground · snap · bear · cell · bound · present · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bound — tied together
  3. ground — a position
  4. bear — the animal
  5. present — a gift
  6. cell — in biology
  7. present — there
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bound — certain
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mate — a partner
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bound — obliged
  17. ground — crushed
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. present — the time now
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. key — in music

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