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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. scale — size or range
  3. face — to confront
  4. key — for a lock
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — to point toward
  7. scale — in music
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cue — a signal
  10. key — in music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cue — for pool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. face — part of the head
  20. root — the cause
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. root — of a word
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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