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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: pit · chip · bass · bank · staff · stock · content · season

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bank — for money
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bank — of a river
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pit — a hole
  18. season — in sport
  19. content — happy
  20. bank — for money
  21. stock — goods
  22. content — the amount
  23. staff — employees
  24. season — of the year

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