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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: march · racket · object · stock · pop · pound · chip · field

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. march — the month
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chip — for betting
  9. pop — music
  10. field — for sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stock — goods
  16. object — a thing
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pop — soda
  19. march — the month
  20. object — to protest
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. field — farmland
  23. march — music
  24. field — a subject

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