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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
468
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: perch · game · stock · bat · fine · dip · snap · key

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. snap — to click
  10. perch — the fish
  11. game — a match
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to sink
  14. key — in music
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. key — the most important part
  18. stock — goods
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fine — all right
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. game — a kind of play

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