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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. race — a contest
  9. bank — for money
  10. stock — shares
  11. band — a ring
  12. charge — electricity
  13. band — a music group
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. race — humankind
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bank — of a river

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