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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. snap — to click
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. last — finally
  7. track — a path
  8. stock — goods
  9. pop — to visit
  10. toast — bread
  11. track — to keep track
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stock — shares
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. track — a song
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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