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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. stock — shares
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. game — a match
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. key — the most important part
  16. shower — rain
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stock — goods
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stock — a soup base

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