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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rest — what's left
  5. key — in music
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rest — a break
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. root — of a word
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — the cause
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. key — for a lock
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. key — the most important part

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