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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mug — a face
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. root — of a word
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mine — for digging
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wake — a trail
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pound — a weight
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chest — a box
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. root — the cause
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. key — in music

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