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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stock — goods
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. race — a contest
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. squash — the sport
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. race — humankind
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stock — shares
  23. cap — a lid
  24. race — the arms race

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