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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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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. net — for catching
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. net — after costs
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. snap — to click
  17. net — in sport
  18. rush — to hurry

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