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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 120 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chip — to eat
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. shower — rain
  7. stock — shares
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. club — for golf
  10. key — in music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. club — for dancing
  13. vault — a safe
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — a group
  20. key — for a lock
  21. content — the amount
  22. stock — goods
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pitcher — a jug

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