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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: temple · cue · cell · stock · snap · bat · nail · ball

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ball — a great time
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cue — a hint
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stock — goods
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. snap — to click
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cell — in biology
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ball — a dance
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. nail — for a hammer

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