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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: fine · cold · mug · cap · stock · pop · swing · scale

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mug — a cup
  3. scale — size or range
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fine — all right
  6. pop — music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stock — shares
  12. pop — soda
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — goods
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cold — an illness
  17. swing — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mug — a face
  20. scale — in music
  21. cap — a lid
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mug — to rob
  24. swing — in golf

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