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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. key — the most important part
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. root — of a word
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fall — to drop
  9. root — the cause
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. root — of a plant
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. track — a path
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. key — in music
  20. fall — the season
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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