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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. race — humankind
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. march — music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stock — shares
  15. ball — a dance
  16. race — a contest
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. date — the fruit

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