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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rash — a series
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. roll — a list
  14. stock — goods
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chest — a box
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chest — of your body

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