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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. firm — a company
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cell — a phone
  5. firm — steady
  6. rush — hurry
  7. capital — a city
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. root — of a plant
  12. key — the most important part
  13. firm — decided
  14. root — of a word
  15. lean — thin
  16. capital — money
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. root — the cause
  24. key — in music

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