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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. race — humankind
  5. net — for catching
  6. board — to get on
  7. race — a contest
  8. stock — shares
  9. board — a committee
  10. wound — an injury
  11. last — final
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. net — in sport
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — after costs
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wound — an injury
  23. race — the arms race
  24. vault — a safe

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