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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — of the year
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. field — a subject
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cell — in biology
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chip — for betting
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. bass — low music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stock — a soup base

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