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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. key — the most important part
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — finally
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. court — for sport
  11. root — of a plant
  12. lie — to recline
  13. last — final
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. root — the cause
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. key — in music
  22. last — to go on
  23. court — of a king
  24. calf — a young animal

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