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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. can — a tin
  4. row — a line
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. swing — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. last — to go on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. last — final
  16. net — in sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. net — after costs
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. row — to paddle
  22. last — finally
  23. fork — in a road
  24. net — for catching

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