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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. object — to protest
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. object — an aim
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rest — what's left
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — goods
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rest — what's left
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stock — shares
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rest — a break
  23. race — a contest
  24. object — a thing

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