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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. key — in music
  3. march — music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. root — of a word
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. march — the month
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — to crush
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. root — the cause
  14. press — newspapers
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — the sport
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. key — the most important part
  21. press — to push
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. root — of a plant
  24. press — a publisher

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