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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 · fine · band · march · saw · ball · stock · hand

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. hand — help
  10. ball — a dance
  11. key — the most important part
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a music group
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fine — high quality
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fine — all right
  18. band — a ring
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. march — music
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. march — the month

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