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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bowl · stock · row · suit · cap · cold · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cold — not warm
  4. suit — to fit
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stock — goods
  9. march — music
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. march — the month
  14. cold — an illness
  15. suit — in cards
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stock — shares
  19. row — a line
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wake — a trail
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cold — the Cold War

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