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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. stock — goods
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. race — humankind
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. race — a contest
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a path
  14. rule — a law
  15. stock — shares
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. track — a song
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — government
  22. race — the arms race
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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