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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — in music
  3. season — in sport
  4. object — to protest
  5. staff — employees
  6. season — of the year
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. object — a thing
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. scale — size or range
  15. object — an aim
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. branch — a division
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — shares
  22. swing — in golf
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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