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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 120 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. root — of a word
  3. capital — a city
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. key — in music
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. capital — money
  21. root — the cause
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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