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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stock — shares
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stock — goods
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pop — music
  16. kick — in football
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — a hole
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pit — in a race

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