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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bound — certain
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bound — obliged
  8. race — humankind
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. net — for catching
  20. stock — goods
  21. bank — of a river
  22. stock — shares
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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