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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 116 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: mug · calf · cap · march · content · swing · stock · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. march — the month
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. mug — a face
  8. cap — a hat
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cap — of ice
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pop — to visit
  16. swing — to play on
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mug — a cup
  23. swing — music
  24. pop — music

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