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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 116 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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. row — a line
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — a match
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wound — an injury
  11. key — for a lock
  12. can — to be able to
  13. game — wild animals
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. root — of a word
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. root — the cause
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. key — in music

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