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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. scale — in music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bass — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. staff — a stick
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. stock — goods
  16. season — of the year
  17. staff — employees
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. capital — money
  20. season — in sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bass — low music
  23. stock — shares
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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