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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. file — a document
  4. last — finally
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. dip — to sink
  10. key — for a lock
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. file — a tool
  14. key — in music
  15. stock — goods
  16. roll — a cake
  17. last — final
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — shares
  21. last — to go on
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. hide — animal skin

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