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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. key — in music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stock — shares
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fine — all right
  13. chest — a box
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cell — in biology
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. stock — goods
  19. cell — a phone
  20. last — finally
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. last — final

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