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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 don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. craft — boats
  5. object — to protest
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. race — humankind
  8. rule — government
  9. stock — shares
  10. race — a contest
  11. stem — to come from
  12. rule — a law
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. race — the arms race
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. object — an aim
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. object — a thing
  19. stock — goods
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. snap — to click
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. craft — a skill

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