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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. key — the most important part
  3. board — to get on
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. race — the arms race
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rule — a law
  12. key — in music
  13. land — a country
  14. mark — a grade
  15. club — for dancing
  16. land — to come down
  17. key — for a lock
  18. board — a committee
  19. prune — to trim
  20. race — humankind
  21. land — ground
  22. race — a contest
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. board — a flat piece

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