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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. club — a group
  6. stock — goods
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. key — in music
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stock — shares
  15. bass — the fish
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. club — for golf
  21. key — for a lock
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. calf — a young animal

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