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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · key · craft · hand · pit · stock · fall · jam

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. craft — boats
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rule — a law
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rule — government
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. key — in music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stock — goods
  14. fall — the season
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pit — in a race

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