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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: scale · cold · field · stock · jam · firm · bowl · cell

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. scale — in music
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. field — a subject
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stock — shares
  12. cold — an illness
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. cell — in biology
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. firm — decided
  19. stock — goods
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. firm — steady
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bowl — a dish

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