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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stock — shares
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stock — goods
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. deal — to handle
  10. hand — help
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. swing — music
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. swing — in golf
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pound — a weight

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