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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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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: content · cell · pit · stock · perch · deal · track · season

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — of the year
  4. pit — in a race
  5. stock — goods
  6. pit — a hole
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. track — to keep track
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. track — a song
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. content — the amount
  17. stock — shares
  18. track — a path
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. content — happy
  22. cell — in biology
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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