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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rash — hasty
  4. root — the cause
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. key — for a lock
  8. object — a thing
  9. net — for catching
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — in sport
  12. file — a document
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. object — to protest
  18. net — after costs
  19. file — a tool
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. rash — a series
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pass — a permit

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