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

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — of the year
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stock — shares
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cell — a phone
  8. season — in sport
  9. root — the cause
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. root — of a plant
  13. swing — music
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. cell — in biology
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. swing — to play on
  23. root — of a word
  24. swing — in golf

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