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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. land — a country
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — for a lock
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. land — ground
  13. file — a document
  14. can — a tin
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. key — in music
  17. can — to be able to
  18. key — the most important part
  19. foot — a measure
  20. land — to come down
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — goods

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