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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. row — a line
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stock — goods
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cap — a lid
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cap — of ice
  12. tube — a container
  13. stock — shares
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pop — soda
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. band — a ring
  18. hand — help
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hand — in cards
  21. tube — the underground
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cap — a hat

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