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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. last — to go on
  11. mark — a trace
  12. row — to paddle
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. row — a line
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mark — a grade
  20. last — finally
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. last — final

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