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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: sharp · staff · hand · stick · perch · root · key · date

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. date — the fruit
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hand — in cards
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. root — of a word
  7. key — for a lock
  8. staff — a stick
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. staff — employees
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hand — help
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. root — of a plant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. staff — employees
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. key — in music
  24. root — the cause

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