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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. shower — rain
  3. rule — a law
  4. club — for dancing
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rule — government
  13. club — for golf
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. key — in music
  18. cap — a lid
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — to wash
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. press — newspapers

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