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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. fine — all right
  3. key — the most important part
  4. ground — crushed
  5. band — a ring
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. rule — government
  9. fine — high quality
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a music group
  12. march — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. march — the month
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rash — hasty
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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