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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 · capital · stock · face · straw · nail · drill · key

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stock — goods
  3. key — for a lock
  4. net — in sport
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. face — part of the head
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. key — the most important part
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. capital — a city
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. face — to confront
  15. drill — the tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — after costs
  24. stock — shares

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