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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stock — goods
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. swing — music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. snap — to click
  16. face — to confront
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stock — shares
  19. pop — to visit
  20. swing — to play on
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pop — soda
  24. mark — a trace

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