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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. club — for golf
  3. key — for a lock
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. root — of a plant
  9. club — for dancing
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wake — a trail
  13. face — to confront
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. root — the cause
  17. club — a group
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — in music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wake — before a funeral

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