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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. drill — the tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. squash — to crush
  8. board — a committee
  9. race — the arms race
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rush — hurry
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stock — shares
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. squash — the sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. drill — army training
  20. board — to get on
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. racket — for tennis
  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