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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — help
  5. stock — shares
  6. mark — a grade
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. stock — goods
  18. hand — in cards
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. snap — to click
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rash — a series
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. shower — rain

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