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

Word bank: rule · lash · club · march · key · cold · stick · ruler

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — not warm
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. club — a group
  8. march — music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. key — for a lock
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. key — in music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. club — for golf
  16. march — the month
  17. rule — a law
  18. club — for dancing
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. march — the month

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