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

Word bank: deal · field · stock · kick · snap · march · tube · stand

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stock — shares
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. snap — to click
  8. stock — goods
  9. march — the month
  10. field — a subject
  11. kick — in football
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stand — to bear
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. field — farmland
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. march — music
  20. field — for sport
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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