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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stem — to come from
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. scale — in music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. can — a tin
  11. rush — hurry
  12. content — happy
  13. season — of the year
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stock — goods
  16. can — a tin
  17. content — the amount
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. can — to be able to

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