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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. face — part of the head
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. key — for a lock
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. root — of a word
  13. face — to confront
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fine — all right
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. fine — high quality
  19. branch — a division
  20. root — the cause
  21. kid — child
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kid — to tease

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