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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitch — completely
  4. object — an aim
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — goods
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. object — to protest
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. object — a thing
  20. race — a contest
  21. stock — shares
  22. rash — a series
  23. race — humankind
  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