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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 120 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. shower — to wash
  5. root — of a plant
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. root — the cause
  8. key — for a lock
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pass — a permit
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. key — the most important part
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. key — in music
  18. tube — a container
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. root — of a word
  22. shower — rain
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. tube — in a tire

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