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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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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: pass · toast · game · stock · cell · drill · bowl · fall

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pass — a permit
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. drill — a practice
  6. toast — bread
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — in biology
  11. drill — army training
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. game — a match
  18. stock — shares
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cell — a phone

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