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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. track — a path
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. sharp — clever
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. snap — to click
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. season — in sport
  17. track — to keep track
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. track — a song
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — a trail
  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