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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: stick · stock · court · snap · cap · branch · pop · mark

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stock — goods
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. snap — to click
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cap — a hat
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. stock — shares
  18. pop — music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. court — of a king
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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