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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stock — goods
  4. key — in music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — to trim
  10. key — for a lock
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. swing — to play on
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. swing — in golf
  16. craft — a skill
  17. tear — to rip
  18. swing — music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. craft — boats
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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