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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — a measure
  6. key — the most important part
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. root — of a word
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cell — in biology
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cabinet — ministers

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