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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 116 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: kick · band · leaves · ground · stock · content · scale · key

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. key — the most important part
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. kick — in football
  6. ground — crushed
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stock — goods
  10. content — the amount
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. ground — a position
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. content — happy
  16. band — a ring
  17. scale — in music
  18. key — in music
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. scale — size or range
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stock — shares
  23. key — for a lock
  24. scale — for weighing

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