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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. key — in music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ground — crushed
  9. root — of a plant
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wake — a trail
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. ground — a position
  16. chair — a leader
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. root — of a word
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. root — the cause

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