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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: cold · bear · snap · current · stock · press · pitcher · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. current — of water
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. snap — to click
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stock — goods
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. press — to push
  13. stock — shares
  14. press — newspapers
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bear — the animal
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. current — happening now
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bear — the animal
  23. press — a publisher
  24. current — electric

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