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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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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. club — for dancing
  3. race — humankind
  4. bank — for money
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. race — a contest
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stock — shares
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lie — to recline
  13. club — for golf
  14. degree — temperature
  15. squash — the sport
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bank — for money
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. degree — from a university
  21. club — a group
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lie — an untruth

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