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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kick — in football
  3. race — a contest
  4. bound — obliged
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. race — humankind
  7. stock — goods
  8. race — the arms race
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. deal — to handle
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. saw — the tool
  19. net — after costs
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. net — for catching
  23. stock — shares
  24. net — in sport

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