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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. key — in music
  5. net — after costs
  6. stock — shares
  7. can — to be able to
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stock — goods
  10. key — for a lock
  11. charge — in control
  12. cell — a phone
  13. current — happening now
  14. net — in sport
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. current — of water
  19. can — a tin
  20. net — for catching
  21. current — electric
  22. can — a tin
  23. cell — in biology
  24. charge — a price

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