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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stock — goods
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. key — in music
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — the earth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fine — all right
  14. file — a document
  15. ground — a position
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. file — a tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ground — crushed
  20. key — for a lock
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fine — high quality

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