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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. race — a contest
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — money
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. capital — a city
  10. stock — shares
  11. pit — in a race
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. race — humankind
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. race — the arms race
  19. stock — goods
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stand — to bear
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stock — a soup base

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