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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stock — goods
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. club — for golf
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. content — the amount
  13. key — for a lock
  14. club — a group
  15. bat — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. current — of water
  20. staff — employees
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stock — shares
  23. key — in music
  24. staff — a stick

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