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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pop — music
  3. cell — a phone
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. key — for a lock
  11. perch — the fish
  12. root — the cause
  13. key — the most important part
  14. root — of a word
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mate — to breed
  17. root — of a plant
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pop — soda
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. key — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mate — a partner

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