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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stock — goods
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. lean — thin
  8. stock — shares
  9. key — in music
  10. key — the most important part
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. content — happy
  13. branch — a division
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lean — to bend
  17. date — the fruit
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. content — the amount
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. content — videos and posts

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