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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: key · calf · stand · rash · clip · last · stock · fine

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. clip — a video
  3. last — final
  4. key — in music
  5. rash — a series
  6. stock — shares
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fine — all right
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fine — high quality
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. last — finally
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — to go on
  22. stock — goods
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fine — a penalty

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