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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. current — electric
  6. race — a contest
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. current — of water
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stock — shares
  12. current — happening now
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stock — goods
  19. season — in sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. season — of the year
  22. pop — music
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cold — not warm

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