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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rule — a law
  4. scale — size or range
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fall — to drop
  7. object — to protest
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. object — an aim
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fall — the season
  13. object — a thing
  14. bound — certain
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rule — government
  18. fall — to drop
  19. scale — in music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bound — obliged
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. key — in music

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