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

Word bank: foot · rock · stick · stock · present · key · roll · snap

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. key — the most important part
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. key — for a lock
  8. present — there
  9. key — in music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. roll — a cake
  12. stock — shares
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. snap — to click
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. present — the time now
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. roll — a list
  22. rock — music
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. rock — a stone

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