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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. last — to go on
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stock — goods
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. lie — to recline
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. last — final
  17. race — humankind
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — of the year
  20. rush — hurry
  21. race — a contest
  22. last — finally
  23. stock — shares
  24. lie — an untruth

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