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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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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: key · nail · root · leaves · perch · bat · firm · court

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — the most important part
  5. root — the cause
  6. key — for a lock
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — of a word
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. key — in music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — the animal
  13. court — of law
  14. root — of a plant
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. firm — decided
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. perch — the fish
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. firm — steady
  24. bat — for baseball

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