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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 120 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
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Word bank
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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stock — shares
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. swing — music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tear — to rip
  9. key — for a lock
  10. swing — in golf
  11. key — in music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fine — all right
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fine — high quality
  17. season — of the year
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. content — the amount
  20. season — in sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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