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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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 — shares
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stock — goods
  6. key — in music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chip — to eat
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cold — an illness

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