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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mug — a cup
  7. clip — for paper
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mug — a face
  10. clip — a video
  11. stock — shares
  12. clip — to cut
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stock — goods
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. season — in sport
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mug — to rob
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — of the year

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