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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stock — shares
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stock — goods
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cell — a phone
  10. snap — to click
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ball — a dance
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. tube — a container
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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