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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. firm — steady
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cue — for pool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. hand — help
  8. stock — goods
  9. wind — moving air
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. craft — a skill
  13. stock — shares
  14. hand — in cards
  15. firm — decided
  16. cue — a signal
  17. firm — a company
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. craft — boats
  21. key — in music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cue — a hint

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