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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stock — goods
  6. club — for golf
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pit — in a race
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pit — a hole
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. club — a group
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stock — shares
  23. plane — a tool
  24. cell — in biology

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