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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 124 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. stock — goods
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. kick — in football
  6. mark — a trace
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stock — shares
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — in sport
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. season — of the year
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. last — final
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cold — an illness
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mark — a grade
  24. nail — on a finger

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