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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bound — obliged
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — music
  7. march — the month
  8. root — of a plant
  9. stock — shares
  10. net — in sport
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. tube — a container
  14. stock — goods
  15. root — the cause
  16. net — after costs
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — music
  22. present — a gift
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. root — of a word

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