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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: rash · net · march · pop · cap · cue · content · row

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cap — a hat
  7. march — the month
  8. row — a line
  9. march — the month
  10. pop — soda
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rash — a series
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. pop — to visit
  18. content — happy
  19. march — music
  20. net — in sport
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cue — for pool

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