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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: game · bound · cold · key · face · can · hide · mouse

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. cold — not warm
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bound — obliged
  4. can — a tin
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. face — to confront
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — a match
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. face — part of the head
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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