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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · net · fork · coach · toast · tube · stock · date

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stock — goods
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chip — for betting
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. net — after costs
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chip — to eat
  11. tube — a container
  12. date — the fruit
  13. net — for catching
  14. stock — shares
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. net — in sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — in a road
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. toast — the most admired

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