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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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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: stock · mine · tube · sharp · nail · pitch · saw · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tube — a container
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stock — shares
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stock — goods

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