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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bat — the animal
  3. squash — to crush
  4. key — for a lock
  5. firm — a company
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. firm — decided
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. firm — steady
  12. drill — army training
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. squash — the sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stock — shares
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. drill — the tool
  24. key — in music

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