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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · hand · lie · bat · kid · root · ruler · key

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. root — of a word
  3. key — in music
  4. root — the cause
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — help
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. kid — child
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — to tease
  22. root — of a plant
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ruler — for measuring

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