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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — government
  4. march — music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spring — of water
  11. row — a line
  12. spring — a coil
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. march — the month
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fine — all right
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. spring — the season
  24. fine — high quality

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