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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rule — a law
  3. root — the cause
  4. club — for golf
  5. land — a country
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. root — of a plant
  11. land — ground
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rule — government
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. club — for dancing
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. file — a document
  20. club — a group
  21. file — a tool
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. key — for a lock
  24. root — of a word

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