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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — shares
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. toast — bread
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pop — to visit
  8. season — in sport
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. band — a music group
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pop — soda
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stock — goods
  19. pop — music
  20. snap — to click
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. band — a ring
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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