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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. last — final
  2. stock — shares
  3. race — humankind
  4. object — a thing
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. race — the arms race
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. race — a contest
  14. foot — a measure
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. object — an aim
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — to protest
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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