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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rule — a law
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. net — for catching
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rule — government
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. net — in sport
  23. key — in music
  24. net — after costs

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