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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ball — a great time
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. kick — in football
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ball — a dance
  17. stock — goods
  18. scale — size or range
  19. prune — to trim
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — in music
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stock — shares

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