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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rule — government
  3. staff — employees
  4. ground — crushed
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. field — farmland
  8. bat — the animal
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — a law
  13. field — a subject
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. key — for a lock
  19. object — a thing
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. object — an aim
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. object — to protest

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