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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: fall · snap · stock · land · chair · temple · mug · mine

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — to come down
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — a country
  6. mug — a cup
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fall — the season
  9. mine — for digging
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fall — to drop
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. land — ground
  18. fall — to drop
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mug — a face
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. snap — to click
  24. stock — a soup base

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