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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. band — a music group
  4. net — in sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. bank — for money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — for catching
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stock — shares
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bank — for money
  21. race — the arms race
  22. net — after costs
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ruler — for measuring

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