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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. season — in sport
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stock — shares
  6. swing — music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. season — of the year
  10. key — in music
  11. spring — the season
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stock — goods
  14. swing — to play on
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. swing — in golf
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spring — of water
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. object — to protest
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. scale — in music

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