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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stock — goods
  4. mate — a partner
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. last — finally
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. deal — to handle
  16. last — to go on
  17. game — a match
  18. stock — shares
  19. key — in music
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mate — a friend
  23. last — final
  24. key — the most important part

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