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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · cap · stock · pop · bulb · net

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. net — for catching
  5. cap — of ice
  6. net — after costs
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stock — goods
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — soda
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stock — shares
  14. pop — music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. net — in sport
  18. bulb — of a plant

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