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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 · date · can

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

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. land — a country
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. toast — bread
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. date — the fruit
  9. can — a tin
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — shares
  14. land — ground
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. bat — the animal
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. land — to come down

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