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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. root — of a word
  4. club — for dancing
  5. key — for a lock
  6. kick — in football
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rush — hurry
  10. row — a line
  11. club — for golf
  12. root — of a plant
  13. club — a group
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pop — music
  18. root — the cause
  19. key — in music
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pop — soda

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