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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · stock · key · pitcher · march · pop · content · face

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. march — the month
  3. face — to confront
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — of the year
  6. march — music
  7. content — the amount
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — happy
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — to point toward
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pop — music
  18. march — the month
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. face — part of the head
  22. key — in music
  23. season — in sport
  24. key — the most important part

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