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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stock — shares
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wound — an injury
  7. foot — a measure
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — help
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — goods
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. race — a contest
  18. bass — low music
  19. race — humankind
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — part of the body

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