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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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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — army training
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. last — final
  11. net — for catching
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. wound — an injury
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. drill — the tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. wave — with your hand

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