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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: key · plane · hand · chip · season · rule · can · march

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. march — the month
  3. can — to be able to
  4. key — in music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. season — of the year
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chip — for betting
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. march — music
  11. hand — help
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rule — a law
  14. hand — in cards
  15. march — the month
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. key — the most important part
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — in sport
  24. can — a tin

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