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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. row — to paddle
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. chip — for betting
  8. season — in sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stock — goods
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. row — a line
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. content — happy
  19. season — of the year
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — shares
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. nail — on a finger

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