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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. shower — to wash
  3. key — the most important part
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. field — for sport
  6. root — of a plant
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. key — for a lock
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. present — a gift
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. present — the time now
  17. field — farmland
  18. root — of a word
  19. key — in music
  20. scale — in music
  21. field — a subject
  22. shower — rain
  23. root — the cause
  24. present — there

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