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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. key — for a lock
  5. roll — a list
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. key — in music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. roll — a cake
  12. stock — goods
  13. rest — what's left
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pass — a permit
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. key — the most important part
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. stock — shares
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rest — a break

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