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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. race — a contest
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stock — shares
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hand — help
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stock — goods
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. race — humankind
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. hand — in cards
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wake — a trail
  24. safe — out of danger

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