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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. firm — steady
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. race — a contest
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. race — the arms race
  11. last — finally
  12. fork — in a road
  13. firm — decided
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. race — humankind
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stock — goods
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. last — to go on
  21. firm — a company
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lie — an untruth
  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