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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · temple · staff · last · wound · mate · key · root

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. last — finally
  5. staff — a stick
  6. last — final
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mate — to breed
  9. last — to go on
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. root — of a word
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bat — the animal
  21. root — the cause
  22. key — in music
  23. wound — an injury
  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