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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 · mate · toast · bass · leaves · date · current · bat

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stock — shares
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. current — electric
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mate — to breed
  12. current — happening now
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. toast — bread
  15. date — the fruit
  16. current — of water
  17. bat — the animal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bass — low music
  24. leaves — of a tree

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