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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: last · season · content · pit · bay · saw · stock · date

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pit — a hole
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stock — shares
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — happy
  9. stock — goods
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. content — the amount
  15. season — of the year
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. last — finally
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. season — in sport
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. saw — the tool

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