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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stem — to come from
  4. race — humankind
  5. mug — to rob
  6. net — after costs
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. race — a contest
  11. net — in sport
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stock — shares
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. race — the arms race
  18. snap — to click
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — a cup
  22. net — for catching
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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