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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. root — of a word
  6. game — a match
  7. key — the most important part
  8. date — the fruit
  9. key — in music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. net — in sport
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bear — the animal
  16. root — the cause
  17. staff — employees
  18. net — for catching
  19. staff — a stick
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. key — for a lock
  22. toast — bread
  23. staff — employees
  24. toast — the most admired

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