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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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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bore — to tire
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. club — for golf
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. cap — a lid
  11. root — of a plant
  12. club — a group
  13. root — of a word
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. root — the cause
  18. temple — side of the head

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