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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. last — finally
  4. lean — thin
  5. pit — in a race
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. last — final
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. root — of a word
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. root — the cause
  17. pit — a hole
  18. key — in music
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. last — to go on
  22. root — of a plant
  23. lean — to bend
  24. calf — of the leg

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