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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cold — an illness
  6. key — the most important part
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spring — a coil
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spring — of water
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. root — the cause
  16. spring — the season
  17. cold — not warm
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. root — of a plant
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. key — for a lock
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. cold — the Cold War

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