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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: key · spring · drill · stick · face · stock · cue · rush

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spring — of water
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rush — hurry
  6. drill — a practice
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. face — part of the head
  10. key — in music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. face — to confront
  13. cue — a hint
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spring — the season
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. key — for a lock
  19. drill — army training
  20. stock — shares
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stock — goods

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