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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. file — a document
  5. rule — government
  6. ground — a position
  7. stock — shares
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. swing — to play on
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — of water
  15. rule — a law
  16. stock — goods
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — a coil
  19. swing — music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. file — a tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. swing — in golf
  24. ground — the earth

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