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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. root — the cause
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. root — of a word
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. key — in music
  7. kid — to tease
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. key — for a lock
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kid — child
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. shower — rain
  24. key — the most important part

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