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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — a law
  3. key — in music
  4. capital — a city
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bound — certain
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spell — letters
  9. rule — government
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pop — soda
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pop — music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spell — magic
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. spell — a short time
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bound — tied together
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. toast — bread
  24. rule — to rule out

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