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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 · stock · coach · chip · cell · bowl · root · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. content — the amount
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. root — of a word
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. content — happy
  9. root — the cause
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stock — shares
  12. root — of a plant
  13. season — of the year
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stock — goods
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chip — for betting

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