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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. band — a music group
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. field — a subject
  15. rule — government
  16. cap — a hat
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. toast — bread
  19. band — a ring
  20. field — farmland
  21. rule — a law
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. field — for sport
  24. kick — in football

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