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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bound — certain
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. drill — the tool
  7. march — music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — in music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. season — of the year
  14. drill — army training
  15. march — the month
  16. rule — a law
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cue — for pool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cue — a signal
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. cue — a hint
  23. drill — a practice
  24. season — in sport

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