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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 116 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: bark · mug · stock · press · degree · snap · pit · mark

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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 speak sharply
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mug — to rob
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pit — a hole
  10. press — to push
  11. stock — goods
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stock — shares
  16. press — newspapers
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. snap — to click
  20. mug — a face
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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