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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. court — of a king
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. can — to be able to
  7. court — of law
  8. drill — the tool
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mug — a cup
  11. drill — a practice
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. can — a tin
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. court — for sport
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stock — shares
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stock — goods
  23. drill — army training
  24. stock — a soup base

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