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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. net — for catching
  5. drill — the tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. net — after costs
  8. key — in music
  9. drill — army training
  10. stock — goods
  11. dip — to sink
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. stock — shares
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. deal — to handle
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. net — in sport
  19. snap — to click
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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