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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bound — certain
  7. race — a contest
  8. object — to protest
  9. clip — to cut
  10. stock — shares
  11. rock — a stone
  12. clip — for paper
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. bound — obliged
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. race — humankind
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rock — music
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. clip — a video

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