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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. race — the arms race
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. file — a tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a document
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. race — humankind
  16. wound — an injury
  17. file — a line of people
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bound — tied together
  22. key — in music
  23. bound — obliged
  24. race — a contest

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