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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. race — humankind
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. face — to confront
  10. pit — in a race
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stock — goods
  14. chest — of your body
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. face — to point toward

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