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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. key — in music
  3. present — there
  4. cap — of ice
  5. spring — the season
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stock — shares
  11. cap — a hat
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cue — for pool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. spring — of water
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stock — goods
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. present — the time now
  22. cue — a hint
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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