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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stock — goods
  6. rash — hasty
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stock — shares
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. drill — army training
  17. bark — to shout
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rash — a series
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. drill — a practice

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