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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cap — of ice
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cap — a lid
  5. land — ground
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. land — a country
  8. key — in music
  9. pit — a hole
  10. band — a ring
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bulb — for light
  13. root — the cause
  14. pop — soda
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cap — a hat
  17. land — to come down
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. root — of a plant
  23. band — a music group
  24. root — of a word

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