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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mate — a friend
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mate — to breed
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stock — goods
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stock — shares
  24. date — on the calendar

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