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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. court — for sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. net — in sport
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. net — for catching
  8. race — humankind
  9. stock — goods
  10. court — of a king
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stock — shares
  17. race — a contest
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. net — after costs
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rash — hasty

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