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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — music
  4. ground — a position
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. race — a contest
  7. chip — to eat
  8. march — the month
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. track — a song
  11. race — humankind
  12. ground — crushed
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. chip — for betting
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. race — the arms race
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. track — to keep track
  24. march — the month

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