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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — for sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — for catching
  10. mug — to rob
  11. stock — goods
  12. mug — a cup
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. net — after costs
  15. mug — a face
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. dip — to sink

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