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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. race — humankind
  3. stock — goods
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — a line
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stock — shares
  8. cell — a phone
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. foot — a measure

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