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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · season · suit · stock · mine · foot · bound · content

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stock — shares
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. content — happy
  6. foot — a measure
  7. season — in sport
  8. bound — obliged
  9. content — the amount
  10. suit — to fit
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mine — for digging
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. season — of the year
  18. staff — employees
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stock — goods
  22. suit — in cards
  23. staff — a stick
  24. suit — clothes

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