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

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. key — in music
  6. net — in sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. staff — employees
  14. wind — moving air
  15. net — after costs
  16. drill — a practice
  17. net — for catching
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stock — shares
  21. drill — army training
  22. mug — a face
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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