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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. can — to be able to
  3. root — the cause
  4. key — the most important part
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. key — for a lock
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. key — in music
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. mine — for digging
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. calf — a young animal

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