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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stock — shares
  3. race — humankind
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — to protest
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pass — a permit
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stock — goods
  18. race — a contest
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. object — an aim

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