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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. file — a document
  5. chip — for betting
  6. file — a tool
  7. key — for a lock
  8. root — of a word
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. file — a line of people
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. key — in music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. chip — to eat

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