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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pop — music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — of ice
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stock — shares
  15. cap — a lid
  16. capital — a city
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spell — magic
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitch — completely

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