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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 120 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: shower · kid · pop · cue · foot · can · stock · ball

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. stock — goods
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cue — for pool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pop — soda
  12. cue — a hint
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. foot — a measure
  16. cue — a signal
  17. can — a tin
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. shower — rain
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stock — shares
  24. foot — part of the body

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