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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: hand · staff · rest · fine · pass · stock · date · chest

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. staff — employees
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stock — shares
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. hand — help
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pass — a permit
  13. stock — goods
  14. date — the fruit
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — in cards
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rest — a break

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