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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. stock — goods
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. race — humankind
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. clip — a video
  8. stock — shares
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. toast — bread
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. branch — of a tree

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