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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stock — shares
  6. net — after costs
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — a country
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. key — in music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — ground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — for catching
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — in sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. land — to come down
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stock — goods
  24. pound — a weight

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