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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — in music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. game — a match
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. root — the cause
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rest — a break
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wake — a trail
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. root — of a word
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. key — the most important part

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