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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stock — shares
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bulb — for light
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stock — goods
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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