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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: bound · bear · deal · key · bat · row · present · fall

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bear — the animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bat — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. present — there
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bound — certain
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fall — to drop
  16. row — to paddle
  17. key — in music
  18. present — the time now
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fall — the season
  22. row — a line
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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