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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stock — goods
  4. hand — help
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. key — for a lock
  8. tube — a container
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. tube — the underground
  17. key — in music
  18. track — a song
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stock — shares

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