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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 120 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: key · kick · bound · tear · pit · object · mark · bass

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bound — certain
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mark — a trace
  6. key — the most important part
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. object — an aim
  9. bass — low music
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. object — to protest
  14. bound — obliged
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — in a race
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bass — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — tied together
  23. object — a thing
  24. kick — in football

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