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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. file — a tool
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — shares
  6. mate — a friend
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — humankind
  11. march — the month
  12. race — a contest
  13. file — a line of people
  14. race — the arms race
  15. march — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. roll — a list
  20. mate — to breed
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. file — a document
  23. roll — a cake
  24. stock — goods

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