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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.

Make a worksheet

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: court · saw · stock · staff · pitcher · key · mine · rash

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — a series
  6. staff — employees
  7. key — for a lock
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — shares
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stock — goods
  23. rash — hasty
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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