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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. race — humankind
  3. snap — to click
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stock — shares
  9. bass — low music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stock — goods
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. firm — steady
  17. race — a contest
  18. wound — an injury
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. firm — decided
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — a company
  24. race — the arms race

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