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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. toast — bread
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. roll — a list
  9. stock — shares
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. race — humankind
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — goods
  22. chest — of your body
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. roll — a cake

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