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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitch — completely
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — goods
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hand — in cards
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. charge — a price
  13. scale — in music
  14. charge — electricity
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cell — in biology
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. charge — in control
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stock — shares

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