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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — the earth
  4. key — in music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stock — goods
  7. court — for sport
  8. key — the most important part
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — of a king
  13. ground — a position
  14. current — electric
  15. ground — crushed
  16. row — to paddle
  17. current — happening now
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. hand — help
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stock — shares
  22. key — for a lock
  23. current — of water
  24. court — of law

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