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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: scale · drill · deal · staff · key · stock · chest · roll

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. roll — a list
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. chest — of your body
  6. drill — a practice
  7. key — in music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. drill — army training
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. drill — the tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — a box
  16. roll — a cake
  17. key — for a lock
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. key — the most important part
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stock — goods
  23. staff — employees
  24. deal — to handle

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