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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. race — the arms race
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. stock — goods
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. game — a match
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. net — after costs
  11. squash — the sport
  12. tube — a container
  13. rash — a series
  14. race — a contest
  15. net — for catching
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stock — shares
  18. rash — hasty
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. race — humankind
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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