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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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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: snap · stock · capital · mark · deal · wound · bay · pound

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. capital — money
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pound — a weight
  7. snap — to click
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. wound — an injury
  11. capital — a city
  12. wound — an injury
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. mark — a trace

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