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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bark — to shout
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. press — to push
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. object — a thing
  12. press — newspapers
  13. object — to protest
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stock — goods
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. press — a publisher
  18. object — an aim
  19. race — humankind
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — a video

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