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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stock — shares
  3. sharp — clever
  4. key — for a lock
  5. staff — employees
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. drill — army training
  8. key — the most important part
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. kick — in football
  12. staff — a stick
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stock — goods
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. drill — a practice
  22. key — in music
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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