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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · can · shower · straw · kick · stock · cold · key

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. land — to come down
  2. stock — goods
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. land — a country
  11. shower — rain
  12. kick — in football
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. land — ground
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stock — shares
  17. key — the most important part
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. kick — with a leg
  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