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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rule — a law
  4. stock — goods
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stock — shares
  7. spell — letters
  8. rule — government
  9. key — in music
  10. rash — a series
  11. net — in sport
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mug — a face
  14. net — after costs
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mug — a cup
  18. net — for catching
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — to rob

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