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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 112 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: face · stock · firm · ball · key · spell

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. face — part of the head
  3. key — the most important part
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spell — magic
  7. firm — decided
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stock — shares
  10. firm — steady
  11. face — to confront
  12. spell — a short time
  13. firm — a company
  14. spell — letters
  15. key — for a lock
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a great time
  18. face — to point toward

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