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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. row — a line
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. plane — a tool
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stock — goods
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stock — shares
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a match
  14. file — a document
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. row — to paddle
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. file — a line of people
  23. can — to be able to
  24. file — a tool

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