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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bank — for money
  3. staff — employees
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. key — for a lock
  7. season — of the year
  8. key — the most important part
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. dip — to sink
  15. staff — a stick
  16. game — a match
  17. bank — for money
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. roll — a cake
  20. season — in sport
  21. roll — a list
  22. key — in music
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bank — of a river

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