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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 120 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: board · snap · stock · pop · chest · season · fan · bay

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to click
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chest — a box
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stock — shares
  10. pop — soda
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chest — of your body
  14. season — in sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. season — of the year
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stock — goods
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pop — music
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. board — a committee

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