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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stock — shares
  7. key — in music
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stock — goods
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rash — a series
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cap — of ice
  20. roll — a list
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cap — a lid

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