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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 120 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. march — the month
  3. stock — shares
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. squash — to crush
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. race — a contest
  15. club — a group
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. march — music
  20. club — for golf
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a committee
  23. stock — goods
  24. club — for dancing

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