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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. net — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. object — a thing
  6. key — for a lock
  7. object — to protest
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stock — goods
  13. object — an aim
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — for catching
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cold — an illness
  20. key — in music
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. net — after costs
  24. cold — the Cold War

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