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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · mine · stock · rule · calf · bat · key · chair

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. last — to go on
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. key — for a lock
  6. last — finally
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. last — final
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stock — shares
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. key — in music
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stock — goods
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chair — a professorship

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