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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. roll — a cake
  3. stock — shares
  4. race — a contest
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stock — goods
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. race — humankind
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bear — the animal
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. roll — a list
  17. scale — in music
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pitch — completely
  20. band — a music group
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. band — a ring

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