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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. net — after costs
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stock — goods
  10. net — for catching
  11. drill — the tool
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stock — shares
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. drill — army training
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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