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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. swing — in golf
  3. race — a contest
  4. pit — a hole
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — to play on
  14. clip — a video
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. swing — music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. shower — rain
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. clip — for paper

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