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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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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: game · track · nail · clip · key · stock · bear · present

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bear — the animal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. game — a match
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. present — a gift
  8. clip — to cut
  9. track — a song
  10. bear — the animal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. present — the time now
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. key — in music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — for paper
  18. key — the most important part
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. present — there
  21. track — a path
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stock — shares

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