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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. toast — bread
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stock — shares
  6. pound — a weight
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. snap — to click
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stock — goods
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. branch — a division

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