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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stock — goods
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. key — for a lock
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bear — the animal
  14. key — in music
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. stock — shares
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. row — a line
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. row — a quarrel

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