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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stock — shares
  4. key — for a lock
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ball — a great time
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. key — the most important part
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pop — soda
  11. race — humankind
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ball — a dance
  16. swing — to play on
  17. key — in music
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. stock — goods
  21. race — a contest
  22. pop — music
  23. swing — music
  24. pop — to visit

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