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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. race — a contest
  7. band — a ring
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. race — humankind
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. prune — to trim
  18. band — a music group
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kick — in football
  21. stock — goods
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. race — the arms race
  24. present — there

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