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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. key — for a lock
  6. shower — rain
  7. key — in music
  8. bank — for money
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. shower — to wash
  11. firm — steady
  12. fork — in a road
  13. key — the most important part
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. stock — goods
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stock — shares
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. firm — a company
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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