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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. track — a path
  5. snap — to click
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. prune — to trim
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rule — government
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. mark — a grade
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rule — a law
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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