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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bulb — for light
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — goods
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bulb — for light
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stock — shares
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wound — an injury
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bound — obliged
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bound — certain
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mate — a partner

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