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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: march · club · court · lie · can · stock · pop · stand

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pop — music
  3. stock — goods
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. march — music
  7. court — of law
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. march — the month
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pop — soda
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stock — shares
  14. club — for golf
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stand — to bear
  18. can — a tin
  19. court — of a king
  20. club — for dancing
  21. court — for sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. march — the month

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