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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: key · file · stock · spring · ground · pound · cue · face

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. face — to confront
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cue — a signal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stock — shares
  10. key — in music
  11. stock — goods
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. face — to point toward
  15. key — the most important part
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. cue — for pool
  19. face — part of the head
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spring — of water
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cue — a hint
  24. stock — a soup base

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