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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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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cue — for pool
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. net — for catching
  7. march — the month
  8. cue — a signal
  9. net — after costs
  10. stock — goods
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cue — a hint
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. net — in sport
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. can — a tin
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. march — music
  21. stock — shares
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. can — a tin
  24. pop — soda

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