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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to sink
  3. net — after costs
  4. stock — shares
  5. lie — to recline
  6. net — in sport
  7. court — for sport
  8. race — a contest
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stock — goods
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. roll — a list
  14. chip — for betting
  15. race — humankind
  16. court — of law
  17. roll — a cake
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. court — of a king
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chip — to eat
  22. net — for catching
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. roll — on a roll

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