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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. hand — help
  3. race — humankind
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. present — the time now
  6. key — for a lock
  7. present — there
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. key — in music
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. present — a gift
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pop — soda
  14. swing — to play on
  15. race — a contest
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. stock — shares
  18. key — the most important part
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pop — to visit
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stock — goods
  23. swing — music
  24. pop — music

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