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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 120 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: pop · nail · snap · temple · ground · bat · cue · spring

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — a coil
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cue — for pool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spring — of water
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spring — the season
  18. ground — a position
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cue — a hint
  21. pop — soda
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. snap — to click
  24. cue — a signal

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