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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: stock · bear · saw · mate · deal · key · cell · hide

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. stock — shares
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stock — goods
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. saw — the tool
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cell — a phone
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  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