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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 116 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.

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: spell · land · ruler · key · clip · kid · ground · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. land — to come down
  5. clip — a video
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ground — a position
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stock — shares
  12. land — a country
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stock — goods
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. clip — to cut
  17. ground — crushed
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. land — ground
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spell — magic
  22. kid — child
  23. clip — for paper
  24. kid — to tease

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