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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: roll · wake · snap · stock · root · pit · hide · bat

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. stock — shares
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. root — of a word
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pit — in a race
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bat — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — goods
  18. root — the cause
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. roll — a list
  21. snap — to click
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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