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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. root — the cause
  3. key — for a lock
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — a song
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. key — the most important part
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. track — a path
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. key — in music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lean — thin
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. nail — for a hammer

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