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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: hand · stock · row · swing · mark · staff · pop · ball

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — shares
  7. pop — soda
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pop — to visit
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. swing — music
  13. pop — music
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. row — a line
  19. swing — in golf
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. swing — to play on
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stock — goods

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