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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · key · pound · bat · mark · spring

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. spring — the season
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rule — a law
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rule — government
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. mark — a grade
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. spring — of water

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