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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 · squash · wound

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

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

Answer key

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

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