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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — a tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stock — goods
  6. wake — a trail
  7. staff — employees
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stock — shares
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. staff — a stick
  20. hand — help
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. staff — employees
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wake — before a funeral

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