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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. prune — to trim
  3. race — a contest
  4. pitch — completely
  5. stock — shares
  6. pop — music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. game — wild animals
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. game — a match
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. race — the arms race
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stock — goods
  23. prune — to trim
  24. race — humankind

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