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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. degree — temperature
  7. root — of a word
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — a video
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. root — of a plant
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. root — the cause
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bowl — to roll

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