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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: sharp · stock · snap · wound · rock · ball · fan · season

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. snap — to click
  5. rock — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. season — of the year
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — goods
  14. ball — a dance
  15. stock — shares
  16. season — in sport
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rock — a stone
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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