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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: pitch · stock · leaves · fan · date · last · track · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. last — to go on
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. last — finally
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. pitch — completely
  14. last — final
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. date — the fruit
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. track — a path
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. track — a song
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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