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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. rock — a stone
  3. spring — the season
  4. wound — an injury
  5. key — for a lock
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. charge — a price
  13. stock — goods
  14. spring — of water
  15. shower — to wash
  16. charge — in control
  17. key — in music
  18. rock — music
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. shower — rain
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wound — an injury

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