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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. snap — to click
  7. court — of law
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — of a king
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. net — after costs
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. court — for sport

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