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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. spell — magic
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. last — to go on
  9. race — a contest
  10. stock — shares
  11. bore — to tire
  12. charge — in control
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. last — final
  15. charge — electricity
  16. spell — letters
  17. stock — goods
  18. saw — the tool
  19. last — finally
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. charge — a price
  24. saw — the tool

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