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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rest — a break
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. root — of a word
  6. band — a music group
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. band — a ring
  9. staff — employees
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rest — what's left
  13. staff — a stick
  14. key — for a lock
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. root — the cause
  17. field — farmland
  18. key — in music
  19. field — for sport
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. staff — employees
  22. root — of a plant
  23. field — a subject
  24. rest — what's left

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