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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rock — music
  6. rash — a series
  7. stock — shares
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. row — a line
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rock — a stone
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stock — goods

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