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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. deal — to handle
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. cue — for pool
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cue — a signal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. key — in music
  13. cold — an illness
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rash — a series
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cold — not warm
  20. key — for a lock
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. vault — a safe
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. cue — a hint

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