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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bank — for money
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bank — for money
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stem — to come from
  17. key — in music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bank — of a river
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitch — completely
  24. stock — a soup base

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