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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: chair · pitcher · bound · track · key · lie · present · date

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lie — to recline
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — a song
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. present — a gift
  11. track — a path
  12. present — there
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bound — certain
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chair — a leader
  19. key — for a lock
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bound — tied together
  23. date — the fruit
  24. key — in music

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