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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rule — a law
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bound — certain
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. key — in music
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pass — a permit
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bound — tied together

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