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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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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: face · cue · last · field · key · branch · stock · kick

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. field — farmland
  4. last — finally
  5. kick — in football
  6. branch — a division
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — to go on
  9. cue — for pool
  10. stock — goods
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. key — the most important part
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. last — final
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. face — to point toward
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. face — to confront
  22. field — a subject
  23. key — in music
  24. branch — of a bank

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