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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. key — the most important part
  3. date — the fruit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. stock — goods
  11. field — farmland
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. field — a subject
  14. content — the amount
  15. key — in music
  16. chair — a leader
  17. key — for a lock
  18. sharp — clever
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stock — shares
  21. field — for sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. content — happy
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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