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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — a match
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rash — hasty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rash — a series
  9. stock — goods
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. game — wild animals
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. last — finally

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