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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. key — in music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rule — a law
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rash — hasty
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — to shout
  13. file — a tool
  14. rule — government
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — the most important part
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — money
  24. file — a document

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