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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: land · fall · bowl · stock · snap · bay · rush · kick

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. snap — to click
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. kick — in football
  7. stock — goods
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — shares
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rush — hurry
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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