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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 124 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. key — the most important part
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stock — shares
  6. key — in music
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. swing — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kick — in football
  11. saw — the tool
  12. key — for a lock
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mate — to breed
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ball — a dance
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stock — goods

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