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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. stock — shares
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — government
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. field — for sport
  7. content — happy
  8. rest — a break
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. scale — in music
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — goods
  14. content — the amount
  15. field — a subject
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — a stick
  19. field — farmland
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. staff — employees

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