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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitch — completely
  10. drill — army training
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. drill — the tool
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stock — goods
  18. game — a match

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