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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 120 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: cap · rule · mug · key · temple · stick · last · spring

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. last — final
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mug — a cup
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. key — in music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rule — government
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. last — to go on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mug — a face
  24. last — finally

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