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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stock — goods
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stem — to come from
  16. march — music
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. toast — bread
  22. march — the month
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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