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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. root — the cause
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rash — a series
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. key — in music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. march — music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. root — of a word
  24. cap — a lid

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