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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stock — shares
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. race — humankind
  5. rash — a series
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. capital — money
  8. last — finally
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tube — a container
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. race — the arms race
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — final
  15. capital — a city
  16. rash — hasty
  17. spell — magic
  18. race — a contest
  19. tube — the underground
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. last — to go on
  22. spell — letters
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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