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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stock — shares
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. key — in music
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. game — wild animals
  9. key — for a lock
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — thin
  15. scale — in music
  16. court — of a king
  17. lean — to bend
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. key — the most important part
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wake — a trail
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stock — goods
  24. lean — to rest against

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