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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. key — in music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. snap — to click
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bulb — for light
  7. net — in sport
  8. rule — a law
  9. lie — to recline
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. field — a subject
  12. sharp — clever
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. net — after costs
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — farmland
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — for sport
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. net — for catching

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