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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. key — for a lock
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. net — for catching
  9. bank — of a river
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stock — goods
  12. deal — to handle
  13. net — after costs
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bank — for money
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. net — in sport
  20. key — in music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bank — for money

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