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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: cell · toast · stock · mine · bound · pitch · fan · craft

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stock — shares
  3. craft — boats
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. toast — bread
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stock — goods
  19. bound — certain
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. toast — the most admired

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