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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. race — humankind
  4. stock — goods
  5. file — a tool
  6. shower — rain
  7. fall — the season
  8. race — a contest
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. file — a document
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. suit — clothes
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wound — an injury
  17. file — a line of people
  18. suit — in cards
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — to wash
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. race — the arms race

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