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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stock — shares
  4. last — finally
  5. root — of a plant
  6. board — a committee
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. file — a tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stock — goods
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. board — to get on
  18. file — a document
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. last — final
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. file — a line of people
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. root — of a word

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