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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hand — in cards
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a list
  9. stock — shares
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. file — a document
  14. branch — a division
  15. roll — a cake
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hand — help
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stock — goods
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — humankind
  24. file — a tool

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