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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 120 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: snap · stock · rush · staff · leaves · pass · cold · ball

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stock — goods
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stock — shares
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pass — a permit
  9. staff — employees
  10. ball — a dance
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. staff — employees
  23. ball — a great time
  24. leaves — to go away

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