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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: last · pop · game · leaves · fan · cap · stock · mate

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stock — goods
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stock — shares
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — finally
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pop — soda
  14. last — to go on
  15. game — a match
  16. cap — a hat
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pop — music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pop — to visit
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mate — a friend

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