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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. roll — a cake
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rule — a law
  7. roll — a list
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a match
  10. saw — the tool
  11. race — humankind
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stock — shares
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rule — government
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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