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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. swing — music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. snap — to click
  11. land — a country
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. land — ground
  14. foot — a measure
  15. race — humankind
  16. wind — moving air
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wind — moving air
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. race — a contest
  21. land — to come down
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stock — shares
  24. foot — part of the body

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