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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. march — the month
  4. key — for a lock
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — in music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. can — a tin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. can — to be able to
  11. march — music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pop — soda
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. can — a tin
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stock — goods
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stock — shares
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pop — music
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pop — to visit

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