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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pop — music
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. spring — the season
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. scale — size or range
  10. plane — a tool
  11. scale — in music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. spring — of water
  16. bat — the animal
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. stock — goods

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