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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. file — a tool
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rule — government
  6. drill — a practice
  7. file — a document
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. club — a group
  12. rule — a law
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. drill — army training
  16. bore — to drill
  17. march — the month
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. file — a line of people
  21. drill — the tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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