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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: deal · bass · last · hand · staff · mug · key · stock

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. key — for a lock
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stock — shares
  5. last — finally
  6. bass — low music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stock — goods
  10. mug — a face
  11. last — final
  12. mug — to rob
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. staff — a stick
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bass — the fish
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. last — to go on
  21. key — in music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stock — a soup base
  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