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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. race — a contest
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. game — a match
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. current — electric
  10. scale — in music
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. scale — size or range
  13. drill — a practice
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. current — of water
  18. stock — goods
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. drill — the tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. drill — army training
  24. game — wild animals

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