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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stock — shares
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. stock — goods
  5. season — of the year
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fall — the season
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. content — happy
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rock — music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. season — in sport
  16. content — the amount
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ball — a dance
  24. march — music

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