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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. tear — from crying
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. root — the cause
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tear — to rip
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — from a university
  14. charge — in control
  15. fine — high quality
  16. degree — an amount
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. degree — temperature
  19. key — in music
  20. date — the fruit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fine — all right

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