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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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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: spring · rule · present · ground · scale · kid · stick · key

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. key — for a lock
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. ground — a position
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ground — the earth
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. key — in music
  16. kid — child
  17. rule — a law
  18. spring — the season
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. scale — in music
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spring — of water
  24. key — the most important part

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