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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. stock — shares
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. drill — army training
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. roll — a list
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rush — hurry
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — a practice
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. field — for sport
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. field — a subject
  22. sharp — clever
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cabinet — ministers

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