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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 120 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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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: ruler · tear · file · stock · cue · bank · key · capital

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bank — of a river
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. file — a tool
  11. bank — for money
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — goods
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cue — for pool
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — shares
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. key — for a lock

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