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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stock — shares
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stock — goods
  11. saw — the tool
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. staff — employees
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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