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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stock — shares
  5. degree — temperature
  6. row — to paddle
  7. degree — an amount
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. season — in sport
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stock — goods
  24. arm — part of the body

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