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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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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: arm · last · ground · stock · rock · cap · cue · key

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. ground — the earth
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cue — a hint
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rock — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — final
  13. cap — of ice
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. ground — a position
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cue — for pool
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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