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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stock — shares
  3. key — in music
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rest — what's left
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. key — for a lock
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mate — a partner
  15. toast — bread
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stock — goods
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. key — the most important part

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