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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. field — a subject
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. stock — shares
  11. bound — obliged
  12. field — for sport
  13. stock — goods
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lean — to bend
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bound — certain
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lean — thin
  22. race — the arms race
  23. field — farmland
  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