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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. key — the most important part
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. capital — money
  7. key — in music
  8. bank — for money
  9. rule — government
  10. key — for a lock
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. drill — a practice
  16. face — to confront
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bank — for money
  19. rule — a law
  20. capital — a city
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. face — part of the head

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