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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.

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: scale · stick · clip · date · march · rule · stock · key

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. key — for a lock
  3. scale — in music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. march — music
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. clip — a video
  17. key — in music
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. date — the fruit
  22. march — the month
  23. clip — to cut
  24. key — the most important part

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