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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: club · wind · deal · cell · date · key · stick · bound

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. club — a group
  5. bound — tied together
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. key — for a lock
  8. club — for golf
  9. bound — certain
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. club — for dancing
  12. key — in music
  13. deal — to handle
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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