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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rule — a law
  3. race — humankind
  4. object — a thing
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. object — an aim
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. object — to protest
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stock — shares
  19. race — the arms race
  20. plane — a tool
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. race — a contest
  24. branch — a division

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