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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: swing · march · bowl · cap · sharp · pound · stock · wound

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — music
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cap — of ice
  10. march — music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stock — goods
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wound — an injury
  20. swing — in golf
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cap — a lid

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