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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — shares
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. club — a group
  6. stock — goods
  7. bore — to tire
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. branch — a division
  12. bore — to drill
  13. content — happy
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. content — the amount
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. club — for golf
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. season — in sport
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. club — for dancing

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