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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mine — for digging
  9. key — the most important part
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. key — for a lock
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. net — after costs
  19. key — in music
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. kick — in football
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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