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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: straw · jam · mate · stand · ball · date · cold · stock

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stock — shares
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cold — not warm
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mate — to breed
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stock — goods
  24. straw — dry grass

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