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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. key — the most important part
  3. track — a path
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rest — a break
  6. track — to keep track
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. file — a tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. root — of a word
  11. key — in music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. file — a document
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bark — to shout
  18. deal — to handle
  19. saw — the tool
  20. root — the cause
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. track — a song
  23. root — of a plant
  24. deal — an agreement

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