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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — goods
  5. pop — soda
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. content — happy
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pop — to visit
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stock — shares
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — the amount
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. prune — to trim
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. tear — from crying

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