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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 116 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. club — for golf
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chair — a leader
  9. kid — child
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. club — a group
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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