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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bulb — for light
  7. race — humankind
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spell — letters
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. spell — magic
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stock — shares
  21. cold — an illness
  22. race — a contest
  23. hand — help
  24. stock — goods

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