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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. key — the most important part
  3. content — happy
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — in music
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. key — for a lock
  12. content — the amount
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — the month
  20. mark — a trace
  21. march — music
  22. rule — a law
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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