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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. drill — a practice
  3. race — a contest
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stock — shares
  11. can — a tin
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. drill — army training
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. race — humankind
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stock — goods
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. dip — to dunk

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