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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: toast · pit · fine · band · chair · stock · dip · lie

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fine — all right
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stock — goods
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pit — a hole
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pit — in a race
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. toast — bread
  17. stock — shares
  18. fine — high quality
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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