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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lean — to bend
  3. file — a document
  4. stock — goods
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stock — shares
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. race — humankind
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. file — a line of people
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. file — a tool
  17. lean — thin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. race — a contest
  20. object — an aim
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pitch — completely

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