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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. file — a tool
  3. stock — goods
  4. key — in music
  5. file — a document
  6. snap — to click
  7. key — for a lock
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. rest — what's left
  10. key — the most important part
  11. craft — a skill
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rest — a break
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rest — what's left
  17. firm — a company
  18. stock — shares
  19. craft — boats
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. firm — steady

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