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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: tear · stock · straw · mug · bulb · toast · net · pit

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. stock — shares
  3. pit — in a race
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stock — goods
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. net — after costs
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bulb — for light
  15. toast — bread
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. straw — a straw man
  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