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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. key — for a lock
  3. present — a gift
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rest — what's left
  8. key — the most important part
  9. spring — the season
  10. stock — goods
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — low music
  14. spring — of water
  15. race — humankind
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. present — there
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bass — the fish
  20. key — in music
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spring — a coil
  23. present — the time now
  24. race — a contest

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