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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 116 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — the arms race
  19. stock — shares
  20. race — a contest
  21. game — wild animals
  22. saw — the tool
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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