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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. ground — a position
  5. bound — obliged
  6. key — in music
  7. rule — a law
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bound — certain
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rule — government
  19. row — a line
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rash — a series
  23. bound — tied together
  24. row — to paddle

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