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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. snap — to click
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. tube — a container
  7. fine — high quality
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stock — goods
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — a tin
  18. club — for golf
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fine — all right
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bat — the animal
  24. can — a tin

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