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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — to go on
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. race — the arms race
  9. last — final
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. race — humankind
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. last — finally
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. race — a contest
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. safe — a strongbox

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