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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. object — to protest
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. object — an aim
  6. stock — goods
  7. object — a thing
  8. last — to go on
  9. root — the cause
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. root — of a word
  12. pop — music
  13. court — of a king
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. last — finally
  17. root — of a plant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — final
  20. court — of law
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. court — for sport

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