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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cell — in biology
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — the earth
  7. row — a line
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ground — a position
  11. mark — a grade
  12. shower — to wash
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. shower — rain
  20. suit — clothes
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ground — crushed
  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