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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 · capital · season · stick · toast · bat · last · tube

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. last — final
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. capital — money
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. toast — bread
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. season — in sport
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. capital — a city
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. tube — a container
  19. last — to go on
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. season — of the year
  22. bat — the animal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. last — finally

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