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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stock — shares
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bass — the fish
  8. content — happy
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pitch — completely
  15. content — the amount
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stock — goods
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bass — low music
  24. stock — a soup base

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