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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spell — magic
  4. race — the arms race
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pound — a weight
  11. branch — a division
  12. stock — goods
  13. race — a contest
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rash — a series
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spell — letters
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wind — moving air
  21. race — humankind
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stock — shares

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