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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stock — goods
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spell — magic
  6. file — a tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. stock — shares
  10. season — of the year
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chest — of your body
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. dip — to sink

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