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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · scale · date · fall · toast · straw · stock · current

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fall — to drop
  5. current — electric
  6. file — a document
  7. scale — size or range
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. file — a tool
  10. scale — in music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. current — of water
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stock — goods
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. current — happening now
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fall — the season
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. straw — a straw man

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