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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. land — ground
  3. drill — army training
  4. land — a country
  5. firm — decided
  6. pitch — completely
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rest — a break
  10. drill — the tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. key — in music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fork — in a road
  20. land — to come down
  21. firm — a company
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. firm — steady

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