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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. scale — in music
  7. content — the amount
  8. season — of the year
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. scale — size or range
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ball — a dance
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. season — in sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. content — happy
  19. ball — a great time
  20. stock — shares
  21. date — the fruit
  22. kid — child
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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