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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pop — music
  4. pit — in a race
  5. key — the most important part
  6. file — a document
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. hand — in cards
  12. key — in music
  13. capital — a city
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. capital — money
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. hand — help
  22. file — a tool
  23. pop — soda
  24. file — a line of people

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