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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. pit — in a race
  3. net — for catching
  4. stock — goods
  5. land — to come down
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. net — in sport
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stock — shares
  10. key — in music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. land — ground
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. net — after costs
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. land — a country

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