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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. hand — help
  7. root — the cause
  8. rash — a series
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. rule — a law
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rule — government
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rash — hasty
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lean — thin
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. lean — to bend
  24. root — of a word

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