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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 120 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: season · press · firm · bat · staff · current · stock · scale

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. staff — a stick
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. scale — in music
  10. firm — a company
  11. press — a publisher
  12. firm — steady
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. current — electric
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. current — of water
  17. firm — decided
  18. current — happening now
  19. press — to push
  20. season — in sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bat — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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