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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — shares
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stock — goods
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pit — a hole
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pass — a permit
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. dip — to sink
  24. file — a tool

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