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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. key — for a lock
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. key — in music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. stock — goods
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rush — hurry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stock — shares
  20. track — a path
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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