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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stock — goods
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stock — shares
  9. degree — temperature
  10. race — humankind
  11. pass — a permit
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. field — farmland
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bore — to drill
  17. degree — from a university
  18. field — a subject
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. race — a contest
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. field — for sport
  24. vault — a safe

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