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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rule — a law
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rock — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — to breed
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rule — government
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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