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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · snap · dip · charge · bat · mark · plane · temple

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. snap — to click
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. land — to come down
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. charge — electricity
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. land — a country
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mark — a trace
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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