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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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. object — a thing
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wake — a trail
  13. object — to protest
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. key — in music
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. object — an aim
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bulb — for light

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