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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ground — a position
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — humankind
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — after costs
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. race — a contest
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. net — for catching
  23. stock — shares
  24. net — in sport

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