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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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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: firm · march · bound · pitcher · key · spring · rush · degree

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bound — obliged
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. spring — the season
  10. degree — an amount
  11. march — the month
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. degree — temperature
  15. spring — of water
  16. key — in music
  17. rush — hurry
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. degree — from a university
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bound — certain
  24. firm — decided

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