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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 mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stock — goods
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. roll — a cake
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. last — final
  9. race — humankind
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. race — a contest
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. stock — shares
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. roll — a list
  20. cell — in biology
  21. race — the arms race
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fork — in a road

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