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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fall — to drop
  5. can — a tin
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fine — all right
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. can — to be able to
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. pound — a weight
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fall — the season
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — shares
  24. pound — to hit hard

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