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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: snap · rock · face · object · stock · ground · cell · swing

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ground — the earth
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stock — shares
  6. object — to protest
  7. face — to point toward
  8. object — an aim
  9. rock — music
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stock — goods
  13. swing — to play on
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. snap — to click
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. ground — a position
  19. face — to confront
  20. ground — crushed
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cell — a phone
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cell — in biology

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