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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. race — a contest
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stock — goods
  7. race — the arms race
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. date — the fruit
  10. band — a ring
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. race — humankind
  19. band — a music group
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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