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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. land — ground
  3. key — the most important part
  4. land — to come down
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. rest — what's left
  7. clip — a video
  8. rest — a break
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. clip — for paper
  11. saw — the tool
  12. root — of a plant
  13. land — a country
  14. rest — what's left
  15. root — the cause
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. root — of a word
  22. saw — the tool
  23. clip — to cut
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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