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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rule — a law
  3. pop — to visit
  4. key — in music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — a short time
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pop — soda
  13. capital — a city
  14. spell — magic
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. ground — crushed
  17. key — for a lock
  18. spell — letters
  19. rule — government
  20. ground — a position
  21. pop — music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pit — in a race
  24. ground — the earth

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