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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stock — shares
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stock — goods
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pass — a permit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mate — a friend
  22. plane — a tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. plane — in geometry

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