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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. drill — army training
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — the tool
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — a practice
  16. root — of a plant
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish

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