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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. march — the month
  4. race — humankind
  5. current — of water
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. current — happening now
  11. plane — a tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — to recline
  16. current — electric
  17. stock — shares
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. march — music
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. race — a contest

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