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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. race — a contest
  7. hand — help
  8. firm — a company
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. capital — a city
  11. firm — decided
  12. race — the arms race
  13. roll — a list
  14. hand — in cards
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. firm — steady
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. roll — a cake
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. race — humankind
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. capital — money

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