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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: hand · stock · staff · swing · ball · net · fall · key

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stock — shares
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fall — to drop
  6. swing — music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stock — goods
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fall — to drop
  11. net — for catching
  12. ball — a great time
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fall — the season
  15. staff — employees
  16. key — for a lock
  17. swing — in golf
  18. hand — help
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hand — in cards
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. staff — employees
  24. key — in music

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