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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: staff · mark · clip · pound · season · fan · stock · key

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stock — goods
  6. key — in music
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. staff — employees
  10. key — for a lock
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. season — of the year
  14. stock — shares
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. staff — employees
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — a stick
  23. season — in sport
  24. mark — a trace

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