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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · wound · stock · last · stick · snap · mark · date

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pop — soda
  3. last — final
  4. pop — music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stock — goods
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stock — shares
  19. date — the fruit
  20. last — finally
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. last — to go on
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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