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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 120 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: key · season · track · bass · ruler · clip · kick · stock

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stock — shares
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. clip — a video
  6. season — in sport
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. clip — for paper
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kick — in football
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bass — the fish
  15. season — of the year
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. stock — goods
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bass — low music

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