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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. object — to protest
  3. rule — a law
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. net — in sport
  6. object — an aim
  7. net — for catching
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stock — shares
  12. object — a thing
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stock — goods
  15. rule — government
  16. race — humankind
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. net — after costs
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. racket — for tennis

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