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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. last — to go on
  5. stock — shares
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. last — final
  11. firm — decided
  12. pit — in a race
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pit — a hole
  18. firm — steady
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. last — finally
  24. firm — a company

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