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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. craft — a skill
  3. race — humankind
  4. bound — obliged
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bound — certain
  14. craft — boats
  15. race — a contest
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cap — a hat
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stock — goods
  21. cap — a lid
  22. season — in sport
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cap — of ice

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