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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: ground · pitcher · snap · stock · firm · deal · craft · wind

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ground — a position
  3. firm — decided
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — goods
  7. snap — to click
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. firm — a company
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wind — moving air
  14. firm — steady
  15. craft — boats
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ground — crushed
  18. craft — a skill
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — a big deal

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