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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stock — shares
  3. bank — for money
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. drill — army training
  8. last — to go on
  9. mug — a face
  10. bank — of a river
  11. key — in music
  12. stock — goods
  13. key — the most important part
  14. last — finally
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — for money
  18. wound — an injury
  19. drill — the tool
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. scale — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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