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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. craft — boats
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. stock — shares
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. key — in music
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. craft — a skill
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — the fish
  18. spell — magic
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stock — goods
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bowl — a football final

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