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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. land — to come down
  4. pop — to visit
  5. object — an aim
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. game — a match
  8. bank — of a river
  9. content — the amount
  10. land — a country
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. object — a thing
  15. content — happy
  16. object — to protest
  17. rule — government
  18. land — ground
  19. pop — soda
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. key — in music
  23. rule — a law
  24. key — for a lock

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