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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.

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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cue — a hint
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. content — the amount
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. branch — a division
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cue — for pool
  14. season — of the year
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stock — goods
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stock — shares
  22. content — happy
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. season — in sport

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