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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stock — goods
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — hurry
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — shares
  8. row — to paddle
  9. net — for catching
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. net — after costs
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. row — a line
  21. pass — a permit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. net — in sport

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