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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. key — in music
  4. kick — in football
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. key — the most important part
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — a break
  13. root — of a plant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rest — what's left
  19. root — of a word
  20. key — for a lock
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. root — the cause
  24. rest — what's left

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