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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. stock — shares
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. net — for catching
  6. fork — in a road
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. season — in sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stock — goods
  12. net — after costs
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. scale — in music
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mine — for digging
  21. net — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. season — to add flavour

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