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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: snap · jam · net · game · scale · stock · fine · rush

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fine — all right
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. scale — size or range
  10. net — in sport
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fine — high quality
  14. scale — in music
  15. stock — shares
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. net — for catching
  19. game — a match
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. net — after costs
  22. stock — goods
  23. game — wild animals
  24. jam — to spread on bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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