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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. root — the cause
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. root — of a plant
  14. saw — the tool
  15. key — in music
  16. root — of a word
  17. clip — a video
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — employees
  22. key — the most important part
  23. saw — the tool
  24. key — for a lock

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