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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. file — a document
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. pitch — completely
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stock — goods
  12. mug — to rob
  13. race — a contest
  14. prune — to trim
  15. file — a tool
  16. mug — a face
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. race — humankind
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bowl — to roll

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