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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rule — a law
  5. court — of law
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. key — in music
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pop — music
  12. court — for sport
  13. toast — bread
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. scale — in music
  18. pop — soda
  19. scale — size or range
  20. court — of a king
  21. cell — a phone
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chip — for betting

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