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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ground — the earth
  3. hand — help
  4. key — the most important part
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ground — a position
  9. stock — goods
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — shares
  13. craft — boats
  14. key — for a lock
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. key — in music
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ground — crushed
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wind — moving air

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