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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. key — in music
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — to protest
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. present — the time now
  12. key — the most important part
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. roll — a list
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wound — an injury
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. present — there
  24. roll — a cake

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