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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. race — the arms race
  3. dip — to sink
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. race — humankind
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bound — tied together
  14. saw — the tool
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. race — a contest
  17. stock — shares
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ground — the earth
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. ground — a position
  24. scale — size or range

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