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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. key — the most important part
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. swing — to play on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. tear — from crying
  11. root — of a word
  12. tear — from crying
  13. key — for a lock
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. saw — the tool
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. game — a match
  19. key — in music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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