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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. capital — a city
  3. stock — goods
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pop — to visit
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. band — a music group
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. rule — government
  14. stock — shares
  15. rule — a law
  16. pop — music
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. capital — money
  21. pop — soda
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rule — to rule out

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