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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. race — humankind
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — goods
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. race — a contest
  11. fine — all right
  12. game — wild animals
  13. race — the arms race
  14. game — a match
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. kick — in football
  20. fine — high quality
  21. press — newspapers
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. sharp — exactly

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