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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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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: stock · snap · tear · cabinet · row · bat · temple · stand

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — from crying
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. snap — to click
  15. stock — shares
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — a line
  24. stand — to bear

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