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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mug — a cup
  3. land — to come down
  4. mug — a face
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mug — to rob
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — goods
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. foot — a measure
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stock — shares
  17. rash — hasty
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — a series

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