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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: stock · calf · date · fan · sharp · temple · bat · toast

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stock — goods
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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