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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 116 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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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: pit · rash · content · staff · bat · stock · season · tube

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rash — a series
  4. season — of the year
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tube — the underground
  7. staff — employees
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. staff — employees
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rash — hasty
  14. content — happy
  15. stock — shares
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. stock — goods
  20. tube — a container
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. season — in sport
  24. staff — a stick

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