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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 120 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. capital — money
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rock — music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chip — for betting
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. sharp — clever
  13. key — the most important part
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — goods
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stock — shares
  24. sharp — exactly

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