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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: fan · foot · cue · stock · roll · wind · key · staff

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. staff — employees
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cue — a hint
  5. staff — a stick
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. key — for a lock
  8. roll — a list
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. cue — a signal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. roll — a cake
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. staff — employees
  24. foot — a measure

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