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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. can — a tin
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stock — shares
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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