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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — in sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stock — goods
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stock — shares
  15. key — in music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. ball — a dance
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lean — thin
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — of the year

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