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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. season — in sport
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spring — the season
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — a coil
  13. snap — to click
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — of water
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. race — humankind
  20. season — of the year
  21. scale — in music
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. scale — size or range

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