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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: key · cabinet · cold · pitch · can · stock · wind · date

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pitch — completely
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. key — in music
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stock — shares
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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