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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. key — for a lock
  3. net — in sport
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. root — of a word
  7. present — a gift
  8. stock — shares
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. swing — to play on
  12. net — for catching
  13. root — the cause
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. net — after costs
  16. present — there
  17. root — of a plant
  18. present — the time now
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — in golf
  22. key — in music
  23. swing — music
  24. stock — goods

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