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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stock — shares
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pitch — completely
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stock — goods
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. snap — to click
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. game — a match
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. game — a kind of play

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