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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. race — a contest
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. track — a path
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. track — a song
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. track — to keep track
  13. race — humankind
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stock — shares
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. content — the amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. content — happy
  24. ruler — for measuring

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