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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stock — goods
  5. cold — an illness
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. stock — shares
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bass — low music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stock — a soup base

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