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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.

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: stock · ruler · season · content · hide · rock · degree · march

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. content — happy
  3. season — of the year
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. degree — temperature
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. march — music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. march — the month
  13. stock — goods
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. content — the amount
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. degree — an amount
  21. march — the month
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rock — to move gently

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