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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. stock — goods
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — in sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fine — all right
  10. stock — shares
  11. cell — in biology
  12. toast — bread
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. season — of the year
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. scale — in music
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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