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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 120 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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. race — a contest
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. band — a music group
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. stock — shares
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a ring
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — goods
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — humankind
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rush — to hurry

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