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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. key — in music
  3. land — a country
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. deal — to handle
  8. root — of a plant
  9. staff — a stick
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. root — of a word
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. root — the cause
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. deal — a big deal

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