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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. key — the most important part
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spell — letters
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. key — in music
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. capital — money
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. kick — in football
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a city
  24. spell — magic

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