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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. stock — shares
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stock — goods
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. date — the fruit
  8. present — there
  9. lean — to bend
  10. present — the time now
  11. court — of law
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. toast — bread
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. staff — employees
  16. court — for sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. staff — employees
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. lean — thin
  21. staff — a stick
  22. court — of a king
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. present — a gift

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