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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 116 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: stock · snap · game · face · bowl · track · leaves · bay

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. track — a path
  3. face — to confront
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. game — wild animals
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. face — to point toward
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. game — a match
  12. stock — goods
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. track — a song
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. track — to keep track
  23. face — part of the head
  24. leaves — lets stay

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