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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 116 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stock — goods
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. key — for a lock
  7. scale — in music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bass — low music
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. key — in music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. branch — a division
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — size or range

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