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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. stock — shares
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. shower — rain
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stock — goods
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. shower — to wash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. scale — size or range
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rush — hurry
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. scale — in music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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