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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. field — farmland
  4. toast — bread
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. field — for sport
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. content — happy
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stock — shares
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stem — to come from
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stock — goods
  20. content — the amount
  21. rash — a series
  22. field — a subject
  23. stand — to bear
  24. toast — the most admired

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