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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.

Make a worksheet

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: key · perch · ground · mine · content · straw · calf · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stock — goods
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. content — the amount
  12. key — for a lock
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mine — for digging
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. key — in music
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. perch — the fish

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