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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — in sport
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. net — after costs
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. net — for catching
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stock — shares
  10. object — to protest
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stock — goods
  17. object — a thing
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. object — an aim

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