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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — a law
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. key — in music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hand — help
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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