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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · chip · season · sharp · bowl · race · stock · shower

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stock — goods
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. shower — rain
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. root — the cause
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stock — shares
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. race — the arms race
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. race — a contest
  20. root — of a word
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. shower — to wash

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