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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mine — for digging
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stock — goods
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. court — of a king
  14. can — a tin
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — to shout
  17. stock — shares
  18. can — a tin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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