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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 116 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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stock — goods
  12. field — farmland
  13. stock — shares
  14. field — for sport
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — a subject
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. game — a match
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. game — wild animals
  24. race — the arms race

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