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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. drill — army training
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. key — in music
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — a match
  17. key — for a lock
  18. drill — the tool
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. bear — to put up with

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