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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.

Make a worksheet

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: game · key · net · bound · tube · wave · stick · cap

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — after costs
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. key — for a lock
  8. net — in sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bound — certain
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. key — in music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. game — a match
  23. net — for catching
  24. cap — a hat

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