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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. root — the cause
  3. drill — a practice
  4. key — in music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. content — happy
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. can — to be able to
  9. drill — the tool
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. root — of a plant
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. deal — to handle
  18. root — of a word
  19. key — for a lock
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. key — the most important part
  24. can — a tin

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