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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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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: stock · bowl · mine · rest · wave · snap · sharp · pass

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stock — goods
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stock — shares
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rest — a break
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mine — for digging
  16. snap — to click
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. stock — a soup base

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