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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. net — after costs
  3. spring — the season
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. net — in sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stock — shares
  11. spring — of water
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lean — thin
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. race — a contest
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. net — for catching

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