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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stock — shares
  6. clip — to cut
  7. key — the most important part
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hand — in cards
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. clip — for paper
  15. toast — bread
  16. key — for a lock
  17. clip — a video
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stock — goods
  21. foot — a measure
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hand — help

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