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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. pound — a weight
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mate — a partner
  4. key — in music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. root — of a word
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. land — to come down
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. scale — in music
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. land — ground
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. land — a country
  17. root — the cause
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mate — a friend
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. root — of a plant
  24. scale — for weighing

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