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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fine — high quality
  4. race — a contest
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stock — shares
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. band — a music group
  20. hand — in cards
  21. band — a ring
  22. fine — all right
  23. hand — help
  24. race — humankind

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