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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stock — shares
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. can — a tin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pop — music
  9. can — to be able to
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. court — of law
  14. bass — low music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wake — a trail
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stock — goods
  20. cap — a hat
  21. can — a tin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bass — the fish

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