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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — music
  4. stock — goods
  5. capital — a city
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stock — shares
  12. prune — to trim
  13. craft — a skill
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. can — a tin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — boats
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  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