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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: bound · rest · stock · kick · pop · season · cold · dip

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cold — an illness
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. stock — shares
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kick — in football
  16. stock — goods
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — soda
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stock — a soup base

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