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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: rush · jam · cell · bay · snap · stock · bowl · dip

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rush — hurry
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cell — in biology
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. stock — goods
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. dip — to sink
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. snap — to click
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stock — shares
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rush — a thrill

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