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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stock — shares
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. key — in music
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stock — goods
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. season — in sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pit — in a race

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