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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stock — shares
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — final
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mine — for digging
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mine — belonging to me

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