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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: plane · stock · can · swing · last · nail · dip · content

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. plane — a tool
  3. can — a tin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. swing — music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. swing — in golf
  12. last — finally
  13. swing — to play on
  14. content — happy
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. can — to be able to
  20. dip — to sink
  21. content — the amount
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. last — to go on

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