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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stock — shares
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. snap — to click
  6. lean — thin
  7. stock — goods
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. degree — an amount
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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