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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. can — a tin
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. game — a match
  11. snap — to click
  12. can — a tin
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stock — shares
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. clip — a video
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. can — to be able to
  22. clip — to cut
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. game — wild animals

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