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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stock — shares
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. race — humankind
  7. spring — a coil
  8. race — a contest
  9. last — final
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. spring — the season
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. last — finally
  17. stock — goods
  18. rock — music
  19. pit — in a race
  20. race — the arms race
  21. pit — a hole
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. spring — of water
  24. rock — a stone

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