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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: mouse · bark · bat · snap · pop · lie · foot · rest

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. lie — to recline
  3. snap — to click
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bark — to shout
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rest — what's left
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pop — music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rest — a break
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mouse — the animal

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