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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bass — low music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. snap — to click
  13. bass — the fish
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bass — the instrument

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