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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cold — an illness
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. key — for a lock
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. stock — goods
  14. cold — not warm
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — shares
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. snap — to click
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. key — the most important part
  24. root — the cause

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