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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: date · toast · pit · board · stock · cold · land · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. board — to get on
  6. land — ground
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. land — to come down
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bank — for money
  13. pit — in a race
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. land — a country
  16. stock — shares
  17. board — a committee
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pit — a hole
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bank — of a river
  24. stock — goods

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