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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.

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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: cabinet · root · arm · row · content · fork · key · straw

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. key — the most important part
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. row — a line
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. fork — in a road
  9. content — happy
  10. key — in music
  11. root — the cause
  12. content — the amount
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. key — for a lock
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. root — of a word
  24. straw — dry grass

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