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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. rule — government
  3. face — to confront
  4. rule — a law
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. key — for a lock
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. snap — to click
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. key — in music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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