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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. club — a group
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. tear — from crying
  7. key — in music
  8. land — a country
  9. club — for golf
  10. land — ground
  11. cap — of ice
  12. tear — from crying
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — for dancing
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tear — to rip
  21. perch — the fish
  22. key — for a lock
  23. staff — employees
  24. land — to come down

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