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

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. drill — a practice
  3. key — for a lock
  4. saw — the tool
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. toast — bread
  10. stock — goods
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. field — farmland
  19. drill — army training
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. field — a subject

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