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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. tear — from crying
  3. net — after costs
  4. toast — bread
  5. cap — a hat
  6. object — a thing
  7. cap — a lid
  8. object — to protest
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. net — in sport
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. key — the most important part
  13. net — for catching
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tear — from crying
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. object — an aim
  18. tear — to rip
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rule — a law
  21. key — for a lock
  22. game — wild animals
  23. key — in music
  24. game — a match

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