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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. staff — a stick
  3. root — of a word
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. last — final
  6. key — the most important part
  7. last — finally
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. capital — a city
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. last — to go on
  14. staff — employees
  15. capital — money
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. staff — employees
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. root — of a plant
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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