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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wound — an injury
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fine — all right
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fine — high quality
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pass — a permit
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stock — shares

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