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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. key — the most important part
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stock — shares
  15. rule — government
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stock — goods
  18. hand — help
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fine — high quality
  21. key — for a lock
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rule — a law
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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