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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. snap — to click
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pass — a permit
  10. last — final
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. root — the cause
  14. last — to go on
  15. root — of a word
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. last — finally
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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