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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. lean — to bend
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cue — a hint
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. date — the fruit
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. lean — thin
  21. toast — bread
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wind — to turn a key

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