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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · content · field · stock · pitcher · hide · bowl · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. scale — size or range
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — shares
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — farmland
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. content — the amount
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. field — a subject
  16. stock — goods
  17. cell — a phone
  18. field — for sport
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. hide — animal skin

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