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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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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: stock · land · toast · pound · bat · fan

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pound — a weight
  3. land — to come down
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stock — shares
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stock — goods
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. land — a country
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. toast — bread
  18. land — ground

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