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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 124 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. key — the most important part
  7. net — for catching
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. vault — a safe
  13. file — a line of people
  14. face — to point toward
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rule — a law
  19. key — in music
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. net — in sport
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fan — a supporter

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