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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — the cause
  9. field — a subject
  10. wake — a trail
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — of a plant
  22. key — in music
  23. root — of a word
  24. field — for sport

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