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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stock — shares
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bat — the animal
  6. ground — a position
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. key — for a lock
  10. land — a country
  11. key — in music
  12. stock — goods
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. land — ground
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cell — a phone
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. swing — music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cabinet — ministers

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