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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. degree — an amount
  6. key — for a lock
  7. tube — a container
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. land — ground
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tube — the underground
  12. land — to come down
  13. key — in music
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. drill — army training
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. degree — temperature
  18. drill — a practice
  19. land — a country
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rule — government

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