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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 · game · fall · date · stem · pass · stock · mouse

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. game — a match
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fall — the season
  12. date — the fruit
  13. last — to go on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stock — goods
  18. stem — to come from
  19. last — finally
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pass — to spend time

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