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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mate — a partner
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. shower — rain
  8. swing — in golf
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. swing — to play on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fine — high quality
  15. swing — music
  16. key — in music
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fine — all right

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