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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spring — the season
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. root — of a plant
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — final
  7. fine — high quality
  8. row — a line
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. key — in music
  11. root — the cause
  12. staff — a stick
  13. last — finally
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. root — of a word
  18. row — to paddle
  19. craft — boats
  20. staff — employees
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fine — all right
  23. key — for a lock
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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