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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. key — in music
  5. bass — low music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stock — goods
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. kick — in football
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. can — a tin
  19. stock — shares
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rash — a series
  22. key — for a lock
  23. can — a tin
  24. bass — the fish

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