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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. net — after costs
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. net — for catching
  8. stock — shares
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. net — in sport
  12. march — the month
  13. key — in music
  14. stock — goods
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. scale — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. march — music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. key — the most important part
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. nail — for a hammer

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