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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 120 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 · ground · season · fan · key · cell · rest · object

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — in sport
  3. key — the most important part
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. object — an aim
  7. stock — goods
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — a position
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cell — in biology
  14. object — a thing
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. object — to protest
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. cell — a phone

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