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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stock — goods
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. race — the arms race
  6. branch — a division
  7. ground — a position
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stock — shares
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mine — for digging
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. race — a contest

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