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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. scale — in music
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. cap — a lid
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. firm — a company
  10. race — humankind
  11. firm — steady
  12. last — final
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. season — of the year
  15. file — a tool
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — in sport
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. cap — a hat
  23. file — a document
  24. cap — of ice

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