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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rule — a law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. key — in music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. game — a match
  14. rule — government
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. key — the most important part
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bear — to put up with

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