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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kick — in football
  7. degree — temperature
  8. plane — a tool
  9. spell — magic
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. spell — letters
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fine — all right
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fine — high quality
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spell — a short time
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stock — shares
  24. straw — dry grass

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