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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: can · lie · fall · cabinet · toast · stock · pop · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stock — goods
  3. can — a tin
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. staff — a stick
  10. toast — bread
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pop — soda
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. stock — shares
  22. pop — music
  23. can — a tin
  24. lie — to recline

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