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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — electric
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. net — for catching
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. current — happening now
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spring — the season
  11. lie — to recline
  12. net — in sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. current — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — of water
  18. net — after costs
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. march — the month
  24. stock — shares

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