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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
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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: bound · cell · coach · pass · leaves · present · key · bat

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cell — a phone
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. present — there
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cell — in biology
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bound — certain
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bound — tied together
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. present — the time now
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. key — in music
  24. bat — the animal

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