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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. key — in music
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. craft — a skill
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bass — the fish
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — for a lock
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bass — low music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rule — government
  17. clip — for paper
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. march — the month
  21. drill — the tool
  22. march — music
  23. craft — boats
  24. clip — a video

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