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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spring — the season
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. march — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. march — the month
  13. key — in music
  14. mug — a face
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. drill — the tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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