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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. stock — shares
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. season — in sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bear — the animal
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bear — the animal
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. race — humankind
  16. kid — to tease
  17. band — a ring
  18. kid — child
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. race — a contest
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. band — a music group
  24. nail — for a hammer

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