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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ground — the earth
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. foot — a measure
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — a position
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — goods
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. lash — an eyelash

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