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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. root — of a plant
  4. face — to confront
  5. season — of the year
  6. stock — goods
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — in sport
  10. key — in music
  11. face — to point toward
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. row — to paddle
  14. key — for a lock
  15. root — of a word
  16. pound — a weight
  17. face — part of the head
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stock — shares
  22. root — the cause
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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