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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — clever
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. key — in music
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fall — to drop

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