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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rest — a break
  3. last — final
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — in music
  6. last — finally
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — to go on
  9. staff — a stick
  10. game — wild animals
  11. root — of a word
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. root — the cause
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — of a plant
  16. game — a match
  17. firm — a company
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rest — what's left
  20. saw — the tool
  21. firm — decided
  22. staff — employees
  23. firm — steady
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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