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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. race — a contest
  3. stock — shares
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — goods
  8. track — a path
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. track — a song

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