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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stock — shares
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fork — in a road
  9. key — in music
  10. current — of water
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. track — to keep track
  14. degree — an amount
  15. current — electric
  16. stock — goods
  17. current — happening now
  18. degree — temperature
  19. key — for a lock
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. degree — from a university
  22. track — a path
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fork — a garden tool

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