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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spring — of water
  7. track — to keep track
  8. game — a match
  9. spring — a coil
  10. game — wild animals
  11. spring — the season
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. roll — a list
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. roll — a cake
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stock — goods
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stock — shares

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