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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stock — goods
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stock — shares
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cap — of ice
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pit — a hole
  9. content — happy
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. cap — a lid
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cap — a hat
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. content — the amount
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. foot — a measure
  24. key — in music

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