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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. march — the month
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bound — tied together
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. march — music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cold — not warm
  13. root — of a word
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bark — to shout
  17. root — of a plant
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rule — a law
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bound — certain
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rule — government
  24. key — in music

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