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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: net · key · stick · club · mouse · rest · can · staff

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — after costs
  3. rest — what's left
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rest — a break
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. staff — employees
  15. can — a tin
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. staff — a stick
  20. club — for dancing
  21. net — for catching
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. rest — what's left

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