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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.

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
468
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 · content · bay · key · hand · pass · trunk · file

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. content — the amount
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stock — shares
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. file — a document
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. content — happy
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. key — in music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. key — for a lock
  21. file — a tool
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — help
  24. content — videos and posts

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