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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mate — a partner
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mate — to breed
  7. season — in sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rock — music
  11. rest — a break
  12. stock — goods
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mate — a friend
  22. season — of the year
  23. ball — a great time
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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