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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. field — a subject
  9. key — in music
  10. pit — in a race
  11. staff — employees
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pit — a hole
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. content — happy
  18. season — of the year
  19. band — a ring
  20. field — farmland
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stock — shares
  23. band — a music group
  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