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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. current — happening now
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — in music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. key — the most important part
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. spell — letters
  13. current — electric
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stock — shares
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. current — of water
  21. mark — a trace
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mark — a grade
  24. leaves — of a tree

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