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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bulb — for light
  3. craft — boats
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. season — in sport
  6. mark — a grade
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. root — the cause
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. root — of a word
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bulb — for light
  13. craft — a skill
  14. season — of the year
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. key — in music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cap — of ice

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