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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. march — music
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. last — final
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rule — government
  7. object — to protest
  8. rule — a law
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. last — to go on
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. march — the month
  15. object — a thing
  16. key — in music
  17. deal — to handle
  18. key — for a lock
  19. last — finally
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. object — an aim
  22. cap — a lid
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cap — a hat

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