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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stock — shares
  3. race — the arms race
  4. degree — temperature
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. degree — from a university
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. race — a contest
  17. cue — for pool
  18. race — humankind
  19. fine — all right
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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