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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. charge — in control
  3. bound — certain
  4. key — in music
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bound — tied together
  8. root — of a word
  9. field — for sport
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. root — the cause
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. charge — electricity
  16. key — for a lock
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. field — farmland
  19. bound — obliged
  20. charge — a price
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — a subject
  24. root — of a plant

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