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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. race — a contest
  3. stock — shares
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bound — obliged
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — not warm
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. race — humankind
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bound — certain

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