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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. key — in music
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. rock — music
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cell — in biology
  8. spell — magic
  9. court — of a king
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pitch — completely
  15. court — of law
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. spell — letters
  19. court — for sport
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rule — government

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