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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ground — the earth
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. ground — crushed
  6. bear — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. scale — in music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — soda
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pop — music
  13. race — a contest
  14. stock — goods
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. capital — a city
  18. pop — to visit
  19. capital — money
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stock — shares
  22. race — humankind
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stock — a soup base

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