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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bank — for money
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. last — to go on
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stock — shares
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. snap — to click
  21. bank — for money
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. last — finally
  24. stock — goods

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