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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. stock — goods
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mine — for digging
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stock — shares
  10. content — the amount
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. season — of the year
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. branch — a division
  18. key — for a lock
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. key — in music
  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