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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. content — happy
  3. foot — a measure
  4. season — of the year
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stock — goods
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. date — the fruit
  11. sharp — clever
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. pitch — completely
  14. season — in sport
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stock — shares
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. content — the amount
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. foot — the bottom

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