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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: net · field · stock · temple · key · march · fall · clip

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fall — the season
  3. clip — for paper
  4. field — for sport
  5. net — in sport
  6. stock — shares
  7. fall — to drop
  8. field — farmland
  9. march — music
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. key — for a lock
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. clip — a video
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. net — after costs
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fall — to drop
  19. march — the month
  20. field — a subject
  21. march — the month
  22. key — in music
  23. net — for catching
  24. stock — goods

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