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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. key — in music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stock — shares
  10. shower — rain
  11. snap — to click
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stock — goods
  14. spell — letters
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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