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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: cold · stock · pop · club · present · leaves · fine · cabinet

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stock — shares
  5. pop — music
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. club — a group
  9. present — the time now
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. club — for golf
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. present — a gift
  15. stock — goods
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. cold — not warm
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fine — all right
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cold — an illness

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