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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 116 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. last — final
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. last — to go on
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — finally
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stock — goods
  18. fork — in a road
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stock — shares
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fork — to eat with

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