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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. rule — government
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. march — the month
  9. key — in music
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. can — to be able to
  12. march — the month
  13. pop — soda
  14. march — music
  15. pass — a permit
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — a law
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pop — to visit

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