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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bank — of a river
  3. chest — a box
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. race — humankind
  9. court — for sport
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cell — a phone
  13. race — a contest
  14. court — of law
  15. tube — a container
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chest — of your body
  18. race — the arms race
  19. stock — shares
  20. chest — of your body
  21. court — of a king
  22. tube — the underground
  23. snap — to click
  24. stock — goods

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