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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. march — music
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. march — the month
  7. squash — to crush
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — the month
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. snap — to click
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. race — humankind
  18. squash — the sport
  19. race — the arms race
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stock — goods
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. race — a contest

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