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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — goods
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. race — a contest
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. race — humankind
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stock — shares
  24. season — in sport

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