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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. march — the month
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. squash — the sport
  5. track — to keep track
  6. march — music
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stock — goods
  9. track — a path
  10. roll — a list
  11. squash — to crush
  12. content — the amount
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pop — music
  15. march — the month
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. content — happy
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. track — a song
  22. roll — a cake
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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