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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. root — the cause
  4. key — for a lock
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bulb — for light
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. root — of a plant
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bulb — for light
  11. vault — a safe
  12. key — the most important part
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. staff — employees
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. key — in music
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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