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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.

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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: ground · mark · season · content · board · net · bass · stock

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. net — in sport
  6. content — the amount
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — a trace
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — a position
  12. board — a committee
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — crushed
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mark — a grade
  18. board — to get on
  19. net — after costs
  20. bass — low music
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stock — goods
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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