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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. row — a line
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stock — goods
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stock — shares
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. net — for catching
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. clip — a video
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to click
  21. net — after costs
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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