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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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. snap — to click
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — crushed
  7. band — a ring
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stock — shares
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fine — all right
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pop — soda
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — music
  24. band — a music group

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