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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. snap — to click
  3. last — final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — to go on
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stock — goods
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. last — finally
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bowl — to roll

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