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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — ground
  5. stock — shares
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stock — goods
  8. swing — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. land — to come down
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. land — a country
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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