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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. branch — a division
  6. stock — shares
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stock — goods
  20. snap — to click
  21. pop — soda
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ball — a great time
  24. plane — a tool

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