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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. snap — to click
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. net — after costs
  11. last — to go on
  12. net — for catching
  13. last — finally
  14. stock — shares
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rock — a stone
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stock — goods
  21. net — in sport
  22. pit — a hole
  23. last — final
  24. rock — music

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