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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. file — a document
  3. club — a group
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stock — shares
  6. file — a line of people
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. row — a line
  10. key — the most important part
  11. spell — magic
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — letters
  15. file — a tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stock — goods
  21. spell — a short time
  22. key — in music
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — for dancing

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