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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: ball · coach · bay · nail · stock · sharp · clip · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. sharp — clever
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ball — a great time
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. stock — shares
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ball — a dance
  16. squash — to crush
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bay — a horse colour

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