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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kick — in football
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. key — in music
  10. root — of a word
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mark — a trace
  15. tear — from crying
  16. foot — a measure
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mark — a grade
  21. root — the cause
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. drill — army training
  24. key — for a lock

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