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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. spring — of water
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. key — in music
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitch — completely
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. stock — goods
  14. spring — the season
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — a coil
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stock — shares
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. craft — boats
  24. key — the most important part

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