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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: pit · lie · stock · pitcher · cabinet · swing · tear · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stock — shares
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. swing — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stock — goods
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pitcher — a jug

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