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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stock — goods
  4. clip — a video
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. snap — to click
  9. stock — shares
  10. clip — to cut
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitch — completely
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wake — a trail
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. court — of a king
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. branch — of a tree

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