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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: band · key · net · stock · march · bay · shower · snap

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — to wash
  5. key — for a lock
  6. net — after costs
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. shower — rain
  13. net — in sport
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. band — a music group
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. band — a ring
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. stock — shares
  22. net — for catching
  23. stock — goods
  24. key — in music

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