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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · temple · last · roll · shower · can

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. can — to be able to
  6. roll — a list
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. last — final
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — to go on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. shower — rain
  16. roll — a cake
  17. last — finally
  18. can — a tin

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