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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 116 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 · lean · stock · track · rule · cap · game · key

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. game — a match
  10. cap — a lid
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lean — thin
  14. key — in music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. track — a path
  17. rule — government
  18. stock — goods
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. track — a song
  22. rule — a law
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stock — shares

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