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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.

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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: deal · bear · pit · chair · mark · season · file · stock

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bear — the animal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chair — a leader
  9. file — a tool
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mark — a trace
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. season — in sport
  18. file — a document
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bear — the animal
  24. deal — an agreement

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