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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: cap · bowl · scale · mine · season · stock · press · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. scale — in music
  13. press — to push
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. season — of the year
  18. stock — goods
  19. press — a publisher
  20. cap — of ice
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mine — for digging
  24. season — in sport

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