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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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Word bank
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cell — in biology
  5. key — in music
  6. mark — a trace
  7. cell — a phone
  8. row — a line
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. kick — in football
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rule — government
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mark — a grade
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  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