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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: key · bound · chair · toast · season · fork · spring · snap

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bound — obliged
  4. toast — bread
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chair — a leader
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spring — the season
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spring — a coil
  12. season — in sport
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. spring — of water
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. key — the most important part
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to click
  22. key — for a lock
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chair — to sit on

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