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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. stock — shares
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. staff — a stick
  10. game — a match
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. game — wild animals
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. squash — to crush
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — goods
  24. game — a kind of play

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