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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bat — the animal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. game — a match
  11. key — for a lock
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. key — in music
  15. staff — employees
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. stem — to come from
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. toast — bread
  23. staff — employees
  24. bat — in an idiom

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