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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pop — music
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. lean — to bend
  12. ball — a dance
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stock — goods
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pop — soda
  22. capital — money
  23. race — humankind
  24. stock — shares

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