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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hand — in cards
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tube — a container
  7. race — a contest
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hand — help
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. race — humankind
  15. rush — hurry
  16. tube — the underground
  17. snap — to click
  18. stock — goods
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. race — the arms race

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