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

Word bank: key · straw · rest · land · root · perch · toast · game

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rest — what's left
  4. root — of a word
  5. game — wild animals
  6. key — the most important part
  7. land — ground
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — a break
  10. land — a country
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. rest — what's left
  15. key — for a lock
  16. perch — the fish
  17. root — of a plant
  18. game — a match
  19. key — in music
  20. land — to come down
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. toast — bread
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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