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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: stock · bat · sharp · game · scale · key · bulb · club

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bulb — for light
  6. club — a group
  7. game — wild animals
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bulb — for light
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stock — shares
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stock — goods
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. scale — in music
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. game — a match
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stock — a soup base

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