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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stand — to bear
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. staff — a stick
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — a city
  12. staff — employees
  13. capital — money
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. staff — employees
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rock — music
  22. fine — all right
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stand — on your feet

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