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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · toast · stock · snap · scale · court

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stock — shares
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stock — goods
  5. scale — in music
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. sharp — clever
  8. toast — bread
  9. court — of law
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. court — for sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. court — of a king

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