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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · wind · snap · staff · pitcher · toast · bowl · saw

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. toast — bread
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. saw — the tool
  9. snap — to click
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. staff — a stick
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. stock — goods

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