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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — the most important part
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. key — in music
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stock — goods
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pop — soda
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pop — music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pitch — completely

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