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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. stock — shares
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. net — after costs
  9. last — finally
  10. stock — goods
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. snap — to click
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. net — for catching
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. net — in sport

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