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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 124 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ground — crushed
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. root — of a plant
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. key — in music
  8. cap — a lid
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. root — the cause
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ground — a position
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. root — of a word
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ground — the earth
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cap — a hat
  24. calf — a young animal

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