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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rule — government
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rule — a law
  5. band — a ring
  6. key — in music
  7. bound — obliged
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bound — certain
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pass — a permit
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fine — all right
  15. band — a music group
  16. toast — bread
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fine — high quality
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pass — to spend time

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