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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. capital — a city
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. key — the most important part
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. current — of water
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. current — happening now
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. key — for a lock
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. current — electric
  15. object — to protest
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. key — in music
  19. object — a thing
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. deal — to handle
  23. capital — money
  24. root — of a word

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