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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: foot · march · stock · squash · key · straw · pop · mate

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. stock — goods
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. key — for a lock
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pop — music
  18. key — in music
  19. mate — to breed
  20. march — music
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pop — to visit
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mate — a partner

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