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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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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 · mine · face · chair · swing · can · nail · bound

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bound — obliged
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. key — the most important part
  9. face — to point toward
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bound — certain
  13. face — to confront
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bound — tied together
  18. can — to be able to
  19. swing — to play on
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. swing — music
  24. can — a tin

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