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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: field · pop · stock · march · cue · perch · lash · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cue — for pool
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pop — music
  6. march — the month
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stock — goods
  12. field — for sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — farmland
  16. last — final
  17. pop — soda
  18. cue — a signal
  19. march — the month
  20. last — finally
  21. march — music
  22. cue — a hint
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. pop — to visit

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