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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pop — soda
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ground — crushed
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — shares
  8. snap — to click
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pop — music
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. root — of a word
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stock — goods
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. kick — in football
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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